H'n:il 


Oivisitn.  Jiu^l  ^  O  D 
Section  jirwJ^/ 


ii       N#, 


.••M>4«« 


SCRIPTURE     READINQS, 


SABBATH  MORNING  READINGS 


OK    THE 


OLD  TESTAMENT 


BY    THB 


REY.  JOHN  CTJMMING,  D.D., 

MINISTER  or  THE  SCOTTISH  NATIONAL  CHURCH,  CROYTN  COURT,  COVENT  GABDIH. 


§00li  jaf  §tnfx$. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED   BY  JOHN   P.   JEWETT  AND   COMPANY. 

CLEVELAND,    OHIO: 

JEWETT,    PROCTOR    &    WORTHINGTON. 

NEW  YORK :  SHELDON,  LAMPORT  &  ELAKEMAN. 
1854. 


PREFACE 


I  HAVE  been  often  and  earnestly  requested  to  print 
the  necessarily  superficial,  but  natural,  and  I  humbly 
believe  useful,  exposition  of  the  Chapter  or  Scripture 
Lesson  which  I  give  ever^  morning  service.  On  re-com- 
mencing the  regular  reading  of  God's  Holy  Word,  I  have 
resolved  to  make  the  attempt. 

I  do  not  pretend  in  such  expositions  to  give  learned 
critical  or  strictly  doctrinal  disquisition  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  divines ;  all  I  offer  is  an  explanation  of  what 
occasionally  perplexes  the  ordinary  Christian  reader,  and 
a  resume  of  such  elucidations  of  passages  of  Scripture 
as  are  not  generally  familiar  or  accessible.  I  attempt 
no  fine  writing,  no  learned  criticism,  no  elaborate  com- 
ments. I  submit  to  the  reader  simply  what  seems  sug- 
gested by,  or  explanatory  of,  the  passage  under  review, 
while  I  endeavor  to  obviate  difficulties,  reconcile  what 


PBEFACE. 


appears  contradictory,  and  impress  what  is  beyond  all 
dispute  practical  and  plain.  It  is  to  Scripture  Readers, 
City  Missionaries,  and  plain  firesides,  and  men  of  busi- 
ness and  hard  work,  that  I  address  myself. 

If  the  great  acceptance  with  which  they  have  been 
listened  to  in  the  sanctuary  attends  them  in  print,  I 
venture  to  hope  that  they  will  not  be  without  fruit,  by 
the  blessing  of  God. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 

Genesis  —  The  Pentateuch  —  Scientific  and  popular  Terms  —  God  — 
Sublimity  of  Genesis, 13 

CHAPTER    II. 

Six  Days  Literal  —  Creation  a  Process  —  Weeks  of  Seven  Days  —  Tree 
of  Knowledge  of  Good  and  Evil  —  Locality  of  Eden  —  Labor  in  Eden 

—  Animal  Creation  —  Geology  and  Man, 19 

CHAPTER    III. 

Is  Genesis  figurative  —  The  Serpent  —  "Woman  first  seduced  —  Adam 
next — Effects  of  forbidden  Fruit  —  Gospel  of  Eden  —  Woman's 
Curse  —  Eve,  its  Meaning  —  Flaming  Sword  —  Cherubim,  ....    29 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Eve  a  Mother  —  Birth  of  Cain  —  The  Offerings  of  Cain  and  Abel  —  Death 
of  Abel  —  Arraignment  of  Cain  —  Sin  cumulative  —  Cain-Mark  — 
Polygamy, 41 

CHAPTER    V. 

The  Genealogy,  Age,  and  Death  of  the  Patriarchs,  from  Adam  to  Noah 

—  The  Piety  and  Translation  of  Enoch — Significant  Names,     .   .    52 

CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Wickedness  of  the  World  provokes  God's  Wrath,  and  causes  the 
Flood  —  Noah  finds  Grace  —  The  Order,  Form,  and  End  of  the  Ark,    58 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Noah,  his  Family,  and  the  living  Creatures,  enter  the  Ark  —  The  Be- 
ginning, Increase  and  Continuance  of  the  Flood, 66 

1* 


Vr  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

The  Waters  assuage  —  The  Ark  rests  on  Ararat  —  A  Raven  and  Dove 
sent  out  —  Noah,  being  commanded,  goes  forth  of  the  Ark,  builds  an 
Altar,  and  ofifers  Sacrifice  ;  -which  God  accepts,  and  promises  to  curse 
the  Earth  no  more, 73 

CHAPTER    IX. 

God  blesses  Noah  —  Animal  Food  allowed  —  Punishment  of  Death,      79 

CHAPTER    X. 
The  Generations  of  Noah  —  The  Sons  of  Japheth  ;  and  of  Ham  —  Sons 
of  Shem, 86 

CHAPTER    XI. 

One  Language  in  the  World  —  The  Building  of  Babel  —  The  Confusion 
of  Tongues, 91 

CHAPTER    XII. 

The  Tent  and  the  Altar  —  Divine  Manifestation  —  Abraham's  Sin,  .    98 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

Riches  not  necessarily  sinful  —  Soeialism  —  Early  Sympathies  —  Choice 
of  Lot  — Principle  — The  Jew, 106 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Ancient  Kings  —  War  —  Invasion  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  —  The  Rom- 
ish Mass —  Jewish  Translation, 113 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Abraham's  Vision — His  Doubt  —  His  Descendants  —  Sacrifice  —  The 
Patriarch's  deep  Sleep  —  Apparent  Contradiction, 120 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Patriarchal  Slaves  —  Sarai's  Advice  to  Abraham  —  Her  Quarrelling  with 
its  Consequences  —  Ilagar  in  the  Desert  —  The  Angel  of  the  Lord  — 
Ishmaol  — The  Arabs  of  the  Desert, 126 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
God's  Appearance    to  Abram  —  Abraham's  Idea  of   Ishmael  — The 


CONTENTS.  vn 

Covenant  —  Worship  —  Change  of  Name  —  Abraham's  royal  Descend- 
ants—  Abraham's  Joy, 136 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Patriarchal  Picture — Hospitality  —  Promise  of  Isaac  —  Incredulity 
of  Sarah  —  Excellences  in  Sarah  —  Jesus'  and  Abraham's  only 
Prayer, 143 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Lot's  Sin  —  Indirect  Light  of  Christianity  —  The  Magistrate  or  Mer- 
chant in  the  Gate — Angel's  Answer  to  Lot  —  A  Mob  —  Expediency 

—  Sons-in-law  —  Lot's  Wife, 152 

CHAPTER    XX. 

Abraham's  Sin  —  Patriarchal  Jesuitism  —  Abimelech  —  A  Christian  re- 
buked by  a  Heathen, 162 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Birth  of  Isaac — His  Circumcision  —  Sarah's  Laughter  —  The  Dismissal 
ofHagar  —  Ishmael's  Thirst — God  in  the  Desert  —  Groves  and  Ca- 
thedrals,      168 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

God's  Command  —  The  Patriarch's  Obedience  —  The  Journey  to  Moriah 

—  The  Lamb  slain  from  the  Foundation  of  the  World, 175 

Jehovah-Jireh.  —  Gen.  22  :  14, 179 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Sarah's  Death  —  Limit  of  Life  —  Abraham's  Sorrow  —  Arrangements 
for  the  Burial — Eastern  Courtesy  —  Business  and  Christianity  — 
Money, 189 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Eliezer's  Call  to  Abraham  —  The  Steward's  Difficulty  —  Marriage  made 
in  Heaven  —  Preparation  —  Drawing  Water  —  Rachel  —  Laban's  Av- 
arice—  Love  at  Sight, 195 

The  Blessed  op  the  Loed.  —  A  Lesson, 203 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

Abraham's  Marriage — His  Death  —  None  perfect  —  Jacob's  Sins  — 
Esau's  Apostasy, 212 


VIII  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXVI 

Famine  in  Canaan  —  Isaac's  Orders  —  Expediency  —  Worldly  and  Chris- 
tian Logic— Bad  Example  —  Ancient  Wells— The  Tent  and  the  Altar 

—  Esau's  sinful  Marriage, 217 

The  Promised  Reward, 223 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Isaac's  Character  —  His  Request  to  Esau  —  Rebekah's  sinful  Connivance 

—  Jacob's  Hypocrisy  and  Deception  —  These  Beacons  not  Precedents 

—  The  Birthright  —  Deception  Detected  —  Esau's  Sorrow  —  His  Hope- 
less Cry —Esau's  Hope, 233 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

God's  Prophecy  —  Man's  Sins  —  Jacob's  Selection  of  a  Wife — Jacob's 
Flight  — The  Desert  — His  Dream  — The  true  Bethel,  or  Pillar  of 
the  Truth  —  Jacob's  Vow, 242 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

Patriarchal  Sins — Jacob's  Journey  —  Ancient  Wells  —  Rachel  a  Shep 
herdess  —  A  Mother  —  Jacob's  Interview  with  Rachel  —  Leah  instead 
of  Rachel  —  Polygamy, 248 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

Portraits  of  Humanity  —  Various  Uses  of  the  Bible — Jacob's  Decep- 
tion,      254 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

Laban's  Character  —  His  Sons  —  Change  in  Laban  towards  Jacob  — 
Jacob's  Return  —  Jacob's  Explanation  to  his  Wives, 259 

CHAPTER    XXXII. 

Jacob  a  Refugee  —  Conscience  makes  Cowardice  —  Angels  meet  Jacob 

—  Jacob's  Plan  of  propitiating  Esau  —  Message  to  Esau — His  Prayer 

—  His  Presents  to  Esau, 266 

CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

Jacob's  Fears  — His  Meeting  with  Esau  — His  Arrangements  — Natu- 
ral Amiability  — Christian  Character  — The  Altar  and  the  Tent- 
Money 272 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

Shechem's  and  Dinah's  Sin  —  Shechem's  subsequently  honorable  Con- 
duct—  Simeon  and  Levi's  Vengeance  —  Jacob's  Grief, 278 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

Jacob's  Forgetfulness  —  Images  and  Idols  —  Devotion  and  Fashion  —  A 
consecrated  Place — The  Nurse's  Death — Masters  and  Servants — • 
Jacob  changed  to  Israel  —  Death  of  beloved  Rachel  —  Isaac's  Death 
—  His  Character  —  Reconciliation  at  the  Grave's  Mouth,    .   .   .   .280 

CHAPTER    XXXVI. 
Esau  and  the  Dukes  of  Edom, 285 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

Joseph  —  Hated  of  his  Brethren  —  His  two  Dreams  —  Visits  his  Breth- 
ren—  They  conspire  his  Death — Reuben  saveth  Him  —  They  sell 
him  to  the  Ishmaelites, 286 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 
Family  History  of  Judah  —  Tamar  deceiveth  Judah, 295 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

Force  of  Character  —  The  Godly  are  Blessings  —  A  bad  Woman  — 
Joseph  punished  —  Christianity  in  a  Prison,      299 

CHAPTER    XL. 

Joseph  in  Prison  —  The  Butler  and  Baker  shut  up  with  him  —  Their 
Dreams  —  Their  Fears  —  Joseph's  Inquiries  —  His  Interpretation  — 
Fulfilment  of  Interpretation  —  The  Butler's  Ingratitude,    ....  304 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

Pharaoh's  Dreams  — The  Nile  — The  Seven  Kine  —  The  Seven  Ears 
of  Corn  —  Butler's  Recommendation  of  Joseph  —  Joseph's  Interpre- 
tation—  Use  of  Language  —  Egyptian  Manners, 310 

CHAPTER    XLII. 

Famine  in  Canaan — Corn  in  Egypt — Jacob's  Sons  sent  to  Egypt  — 
Their  Reception  by  Joseph  —  His  Incognito  —  His  Stipulation  to 
have  Benjamin  as  a  Pledge  —  Conscience  —  Effect  on  Jacob  —  His 
Sorrow, 317 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XLIII. 

Jacob's  Reluctance  to  let  Benjamin  go  —  Judah's  Reasoning  —  Joseph's 
Reception  of  them  —  His  Feelings  at  seeing  Benjamin  —  His  Hospi- 
tality,   326 

CHAPTER    XLIV. 
Detection  of  the  Divining-Cup  in  Benjamin's  Sack  —  Shock  felt  by  the 
Patriarchs  —  Their  Return  to  Joseph  —  Interview  —  Touching  Appeal 
of  Judah 334 

CHAPTER    XLV. 

Joseph's  Disclosure  of  Himself — The  Feelings  of  his  Brethren  —  Jo- 
seph's Tenderness  —  The  Fame  of  it  —  Pharaoh's  delicate  and  munifi. 
cent  Conduct — Union, 342 

CHAPTER    XLVI. 
Old  Jacob  sets  out  to  see  Joseph  —  His  Piety  —  Divine  Encourage- 
ment,   348 

CHAPTER    XLVII. 

Jacob's  Arrival — Joseph's  Loyalty  and  Deference  —  Presentation  of 
his  Brethren  to  Pharaoh  —  Their  Trade  —  Deference  to  Age — The 
Days  of  our  Years  —  The  Patriarch  blesses  Pharaoh  —  The  Worship- 
per leaning  on  his  Staff, ...► 354 

CHAPTER     XLVIII. 

The  dying  Patriarch  —  Judea  for  the  Jevrs — Old  Age — Jacob  blessing 
Joseph's  Sons, 361 

CHAPTER    XLIX. 

The  Blessing  of  the  Tribes  — The  Death  of  Jacob  — His  Selection  of  a 
Grave,     367 

CHAPTER    L. 

Joseph's  Affection  —  Joseph's  Arrangement  for  burying  Jacob  —  Na- 
tional Obsequies  —  Looking  to  Jesus  —  Fears  of  the  Brothers  —  Jo- 
seph's Love— His  Death,   378 


GENESIS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

GENESIS  —  THE    PENTATEUCH  —  SCIENTIFIC  AND  POPULAR  TERMS  —  GOD 

SUBLIMITY    OF   GENESIS. 

It  is  only  possible,  in  the  course  of  such  incidental  remarks 
as  I  make  on  the  Scripture  lesson  for  the  day,  to  give  a  few 
prefatory  explanations  of  the  book  which  we  have  now 
begun  to  read.  It  is  called,  in  our  common  Bible,  "  Genesis." 
This  was  not  its  original  name.  The  Jews  call  each  of  their 
books  by  the  initial  words  of  each  book.  For  instance,  the 
initial  words  in  this  book  are  Bereshith  hara  Elohim ;  and 
therefore  the  Jews  call  the  book  "  Bereshith  bara,"  using  the 
two  first  words,  Bereshith  —  In  the  beginning ;  Bara  Elohim 
God  created.  But  each  book  in  the  Old  Testament  is  now 
called,  not  by  the  name  given  it  by  the  Jews,  but  by  one  bor- 
rowed from  the  Septuagint,  or  Greek  version  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, made  three  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era. 
Neither  nomenclature  is  of  divine  origin.  The  name,  "  Gen- 
esis," however,  which  is  its  Greek  name,  and  not  its  Hebrew, 
is  very  expressive.  It  means  "  Creation,"  or  "  Generation," 
or,  if  you  like  it,  "  the  origin  of  all  things." 

This  book,  and  the  other  four  that  succeed  it,  —  Exodus, 
Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy,  —  are  called,  collect- 
ively, by  the  name  of  "  The  Pentateuch."  These  five  books 
have  been  so  called  for  ages  —  "  The  Pentateuch,"  or  "  The 
five  works."    This  word  is  not  Hebrew,  again  I  may  remind 


14  SCRIPTURE  READINGS. 

you,  but  Greek,  and  means  "  Five  works,"  or  "  Five  accom- 
plishments." 

The  Jews  divided  the  Old  Testament  into  three  divisions  — 
Moses,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Psalms ;  —  including  under  the 
division  "  Prophets,"  the  twelve  minor  prophets,  and  also  the 
larger  prophets,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel ;  and  includ- 
ing under  the  division  "  Psalms,"  the  Song  of  Solomon,  and 
Ecclesiastes ;  and  under  the  division  "Moses,"  the  Penta- 
teuch, and  the  other  historical  books  that  immediately  follow  it. 

That  this  book  is  inspired  of  God,  we  gather,  first,  from  its 
internal  character,  and  from  external  evidence ;  and,  secondly, 
from  the  express  declarations  to  that  effect  in  the  New  Testa-  ^ 
ment  writings.  When  Paul  wrote  to  Timothy,  "All  the 
Scri^itures  "  —  Ua.au  ^  y^cc^pr]  —  "  are  given  by  inspiration  of 
God,"  he  alluded  primarily  to  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
which  every  Jew  had  in  his  hand  —  Moses,  the  Psalms,  and 
the  Prophets.  This  book,  too,  might  be  shown  to  be  inspired, 
from  its  intrinsic  contents,  its  sublime  character,  and  marvel- 
lous information.  Just  take  a  fabulous,  or  legendary,  or  tra- 
ditional account  of  the  creation  of  man  from  the  Greeks,  or 
from  the  Eomans,  or  from  the  Chinese,  or  from  any  modern 
heathen  nation,  and  you  will  see  how  absurd,  how  puerile 
their  records  are ;  and  afterwards  compare  them  with  the 
severe  and  sublime  simplicity  of  this  record,  and  you  must 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  alone  bears  on  its  face  the 
superscription  of  Deity,  and  that  man  could  not  have  origin- 
ated a  record  at  once  so  simple  and  so  sublime,  commending 
itself  so  truly  to  the  most  enlightened  mind,  and  vindicating 
itself  in  all  respects  as  worthy  of  God. 

The  objections  that  have  been  raised  against  it  are,  of 
course,  in  details ;  and  in  details  such  objections  may  fairly 
be  met.  For  instance,  such  a  statement  as  "  God  made  the 
firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  which  were  under  the 
firmament  from  the  waters  which  were  above  the  firmament ; 


GENESIS   I.  1§ 

and  it  was  so.  And  God  called  the  firmament  heaven,"  is 
found  fault  with.  Now,  this  is  not  a  scientific  description, 
but  a  record  of  a  simple  fact ;  it  is  speaking  optically,  not  scien- 
tifically. The  Bible  is  written  in  popular  language,  to  teach 
mankind  religion ;  it  is  not  written  in  scientific  terms,  to  satisfy 
the  successive  discoveries  of  scientific  men.  And  when  it  calls 
the  firmament  "  heaven,"  there  is  evidently  meant  the  atmos- 
phere. For  instance,  in  2  Peter  3 :  10,  which  is  our  lesson 
for  this  evening,  we  read,  "  The  heavens  shall  pass  away  with 
a  great  noise."  One  at  once  understands  that  to  be  the 
atmosphere ;  and  one  can  easily  see  how  consistent  such  a 
prophecy  is  with  what  science  has  discovered  as  the  component 
parts  of  the  elements  of  the  atmosphere.  And  when  Moses 
here  describes  the  clouds  as  distinct  from  the  ocean,  and  the 
earth,  and  the  atmosphere,  and  calls  the  clouds  "  the  waters 
above  the  firmament,"  he  speaks  in  popular  language,  but 
here,  as  everywhere,  in  perfect  consistency  with  scientific  dis- 
coveries. 

Another  passage  has  been  objected  to,  namely,  his  describ- 
ing God  creating  the  sun  and  moon  as  if  he  made  these  at 
the  time  the  earth  was  arranged.  Now,  I  do  not  believe  this 
is  here  taught ;  and  I  shall  endeavor  to  show,  in  the  course 
of  my  sermon,  that  the  earth  is  much  older  than  the  common 
interpretation  of  the  Mosaic  record  allows.  I  think  that  the 
sun  and  moon  were  made  long  before  our  earth.  But  the 
language  of  the  sacred  penman  does  not  teach  that  God  then 
made  the  sun  and  moon ;  for  the  words  here  in  the  original 
are  not  those  usually  rendered  "made"  and  "created;" 
they  might  be  translated,  as  it  has  been  shown  by  the  best 
Hebrew  scholars, — in  fact,  they  must  be  so, — "  Let  the  lights 
in  the  firmament  of  the  heaven  be  for  the  purpose  of  divid- 
ing the  day  from  the  night."  You  will  observe,  the  word  for 
create  is  hara.  The  other  word  that  is  used  for  making  is 
aasa  ;  but  the  sacred  penman  does  not  in  this  instance  use 
2 


16  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

either  of  ttese  words.  He  does  not  say,  "  Let  these  lights  be 
created,"  using  hara^  or  "  Let  these  lights  be  made,"  using 
aasa  ;  but  yeJii  —  "  Let  them  be  for  the  purpose  of  dividing 
the  day  from  the  night."  In  fact,  the  passage  recognizes  their 
previous  existence,  and  only  assigns  them  a  new  and  resusci- 
tated function  —  to  give  light,  the  one  by  day  and  the  other 
by  night.  And  again,  what  is  still  more  remarkable,  the  six- 
teenth verse  says,  "  And  God  made  two  great  lights."  Now, 
the  fact  is,  that  "  lights,"  the  word  here  used,  is  not  the  same 
word  as  that  used  in  the  third  verse,  "  Let  there  be  light." 
The  word  there  is  owr^  light ;  but  in  the  sixteenth  verse  it  is, 
"  He  appointed  two  great  maowrotli^''  which  means  "  light-car- . 
riers,"  "  linkmen,"  "  torch-bearers ;  "  and  the  whole  passage 
plainly  means,  that  he  constituted  the  sun  and  moon  to  be 
torch-bearers,  to  enlighten,  the  one  by  day  and  the  other  by 
night.  No  description,  therefore,  while  the  language  is  popu- 
lar, can  be  more  consistent  with  the  discoveries  of  science. 

Thus,  in  the  simple  record  that  is  here  given,  we  have  the 
creation  of  all  things  by  God,  and,  finally,  man  in  God's 
image,  or  moral  likeness,  having  dominion  over  all  things. 
One  sees  the  traces  of  that  dominion  still.  More  or  less  the 
animal  creation  is  subject  to  man.  His  lordship  may  pass 
into  tyranny,  but  still  it  exists.  More  or  less  every  creature 
stands  in  dread  of  man.  The  expression  here  employed,  that 
"  God  created  man  in  his  own  image ;  male  and  female  created 
he  them,"  is  evidently  anticipatory.  The  first  chapter  gives  a 
resume  —  a  short  epitome  —  of  the  contents  of  the  second, 
and  alludes  to  a  transaction  in  the  second,  reserving  for  the 
second  chapter  a  full  record  of  all  the  facts  which  it  im- 
plies. 

We  read  that  God  gave  man  "  every  herb  bearing  seed  and 
every  tree,  in  the  which  is  the  fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed, 
for  meat."  Permission  to  eat  animal  food  was  not  given 
until  after  the  Noachian  deluge,  when  a  new  covenant  was 


GENESIS  I.  17 

made,  and  man  was  then  permitted  to  eat  of  the  beasts  of  the 
earth. 

Looking  at  the  whole  of  this  chapter,  we  see  the  simplest 
language  employed  —  language  strictly  popular,  intelligible  in 
all  lands,  but  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  highest  scientific 
discoveries.  Open  your  Almanac  for  1852,  and  you  will 
find  it  states  that  the  sun  sets,  the  sun  rises;  yet  this  is 
absurd,  scientifically  speaking,  and  is  less  warrantable  in  a 
semi-scientific  work.  And  so  our  Bible  speaks  of  the  sun  set- 
ting, and  the  moon  rising.  All  such  phraseology  is  scientifi- 
cally wrong,  but  it  is  popularly  right,  and  conveys  in  the 
fewest  and  most  intelligible  words  what  is  meant  to  be 
conveyed,  a  religious  truth. 

One  more  remark  upon  this  chapter,  which  is  interesting. 
The  word  "  God "  is  in  the  plural  number,  and  the  word 
"created"  is  in  the  singular  number.  Now,  this  is  very 
remarkable  ;  it  is  a  violation  of  grammar ;  and  if  it  occurred 
only  here,  one  might  say  it  might  be  an  accidental  violation 
of  grammar ;  but,  if  you  go  through  the  whole  Bible,  you  will 
find  the  same  thing,  "  Elohim,"  plural  Hebrew,  used  with  a 
singular  verb.  And  in  Ecclesiastes  it  is  strictly, "  Bemember 
now  thy  Creators,"  though  translated  very  justly  and  very 
properly,  "  Bemember  now  thy  Creator."  Now,  the  Jews 
argue  that  this  implies  more  than  one  person  in  the  Godhead, 
and  Christian  divines  have  justly  thought  that  it  is  an  inti- 
mation of  that  great  and  precious  truth,  a  triime  Jehovah. 

We  notice  another  very  remarkable  fact.  In  the  second 
verse  we  read  this  statement :  "  The  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters."  Now,  the  Hebrew  word  there 
translated  "  moved  "  is  rendered  in  Hebrew  lexicons,  "  flut- 
tered like  a  dove;"  and,  thus,  this  second  verse  might  be 
rendered,  "  The  Spirit  of  God  kept  fluttering  after  the  manner 
of  a  dove  upon  the  face  of  the  waters."  Hence,  when  you 
recollect  that  the  Spirit  descended  upon  Jesus  after  the  man- 


18  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

ner  of  a  dove,  or,  as  a  dove  descends,  you  will  see  that  you 
have  the  same  allusion  in  reference  to  the  Spirit  in  this  verse. 
And  this  is  not  the  interpretation  of  Christians  only,  but  also 
of  Jews.  So  soon  did  the  Holy  Spirit  begin  his  work  on 
earth. 

I  may  notice,  too,  that  Longinus,  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
critics  and  judges  of  rhetoric  of  ancient  Greece,  pronounces 
the  third  verse  to  be  the  sublimest  thing  in  this  or  in  any 
other  language  :  "  And  God  said.  Let  there  be  light,"  and  the 
response  from  every  part  of  the  universe  is,  "  There  was  light." 
The  more  intimate  our  acquaintance  is  with  the  Mosaic 
record,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  legendary  and  distorted  tra- 
ditions and  fables  of  the  heathen,  alluding  to  the  origin  and 
nature  of  all  created  things,  on  the  other,  the  more  we  shall 
be  persuaded  of  the  inspiration  of  the  one,  and  the  human 
origin  of  the  other.  The  more  earnestly,  moreover,  we  feel 
on  religion,  the  less  shall  we  be  disposed  to  quarrel  with  what 
the  philosopher  calls  unscientific  words  used  to  set  out  divine 
truths.  Had  scientific  words  been  used,  peasants  might  have 
been  uninstructed.  But  now  peasant  and  philosopher  equally 
understand. 


CHAPTER    II. 

SIX  DAYS  LITERAL  —  CREATION  A  PROCESS  —  WEEKS  OP  SEVEN  DATO 
—  TREE  OF  KNOWLEDGE  OF  GOOD  AND  EVIL  —  LOCALITY  OF  EDEN  — 
LABOR   IN  EDEN  —  ANIMAL   CREATION  —  GEOLOGY  AND   MAN. 

I  MAY  take  this  opportunity  of  noticing  tliat  tlie  excellent, 
though  not  perfect,  work  to  which  I  referred  in  my  last  (Hitch- 
cock's "  Religion  of  Geology  "),  is  to  be  had  at  a  very  low 
price,  being  published  as  one  of  a  cheap  series.  I  allude  to 
it  again  with  the  greater  pleasure,  because  I  am  anxious  that 
you  should  see  from  it,  as  a  popular  resume,  though  not  with- 
out its  defects,  the  light  that  geology  casts  upon  religion.  I 
may  mention,  too,  that  some  questions  have  been  asked  of 
me  on  this  subject,  and,  among  the  rest,  whether  the  earth 
was  always  in  a  state  of  darkness  before  the  light  was  created. 
I  answer,  the  verse  expressly  states  darkness  was  then  on  the 
face  of  the  deep.  There  was  chaos,  or  darkness,  over  all  the 
face  of  the  earth  prior  to  the  present  configuration  —  that  is, 
the  absence  of  light :  at  the  beginning,  God  said,  "  Let  there 
be  light,  and  there  was  light."  The  light  may  have  existed 
thousands  of  years  before  the  creation  of  our  earth,  but  it  was 
now  darkened :  it  was  a  distinct  creation  of  God,  and  was 
afterwards  concentrated,  or  made  to  gather  together  in  the 
sun ;  and  the  sun  —  an  opaque  body  in  himself — became  the 
radiating  centre,  or  the  mirror  to  reflect  these  rays  upon  the 
world.  Evidently,  the  earth  had  lapsed  into  chaos,  whether 
having  light  or  not  previously ;  certainly  there  was  no  light, 
at  least  on  earth,  immediately  before  God  pronounced  the 
words,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light." 
2=* 


20  SCRIPTURE  READINGS. 

I  think,  also,  that  the  "  heaven  "  alluded  to  is,  throughout, 
not  the  heavenly  bodies  at  all,  but  simply  the  space  that  is 
now  filled  by  our  atmosphere,  which  Peter  says  will  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise,  and  which  now  surrounds  and  wraps  the 
globe,  and  which  is  part  and  parcel  of  the  economy  in  which 
we  live. 

I  believe  that  the  six  days  were  six  literal  days.  I  know 
that  some  geologists  have  endeavored  to  prove  that  each  day 
was  not  a  literal  day  of  twenty-four  hours,  but  a  vast  geolog- 
ical period,  as  it  is  called.  I  do  not  think  this  is  plain,  fair 
dealing  with  the  Word  of  God.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  two 
first  verses  describe  the  original  creation  of  all  things  out  of 
nothing,  and  that  between  the  act  recorded  in  the  two  first 
verses,  and  the  processes  of  the  six  days  that  followed,  there 
may  have  intervened  millenia  —  thousands  or  millions  of 
years ;  but  I  do  think  that  each  day  of  the  seven  days  after- 
wards enumerated  was  strictly  a  literal  day.  Whenever  we 
find  that  the  literal  interpretation  of  a  passage  perfectly  har- 
monizes with  the  rest  of  the  analogies  of  Holy  Writ,  or  rather 
is  not  plainly  impossible,  we  should  cleave  to  that  literal 
interpretation ;  that  is,  unless  there  be  good  reason  to  accept 
the  passage  in  a  figurative  sense.  And,  in  the  next  place, 
the  allusion  in  the  fourth  commandment  appears  to  me  deci- 
sive, "  E-emember  the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy ;  for  in 
six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all 
that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day."  Now,  let  any 
unprejudiced  mind  peruse  that  commandment,  and  he  will 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  earth  and  the  heaven  —  mean- 
ing by  the  heaven  the  atmosphere  surrounding  this  earth  — 
were  all  created  in  the  course  of  six  literal  days,  and  that 
God  rested  on  the  seventh  day. 

The  chapter  we  have  now  entered  on  describes  the  comple- 
tion of  this  process  :  "  Thus  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were 
finished,  and  all  the  host  of  them."     God  might  have  called 


GENESIS  II.  21 

the  earth,  in  all  its  beauty,  and  furnished  with  all  its  elements 
and  apparatus,  into  existence  by  one  single  fiat.  He  who 
could  turn  water  into  wine,  who  could  turn  a  little  bread  into 
enough  for  five  thousand,  had  only  to  speak  the  word,  and  the 
earth  would  have  sprung  into  its  orbit,  beautified  with  all  its 
terrestrial  clothing.  But  he  did  not  do  so ;  he  was  pleased 
to  arrange,  not  by  an  act,  but  by  a  process.  And  this  seems 
to  be  the  method  of  God's  dealing  in  all  things.  Great  good 
is  achieved  in  nations,  not  by  a  sudden  start  —  by  a  vast 
revolution  —  but  by  a  gradual  and  progressive  reformation. 
The  human  heart  seems  to  undergo  change,  and  to  be  con- 
verted and  made  fit  for  heaven,  not  by  a  sudden  stroke,  but 
by  a  progressive  process.  Summer  comes  on  gradually  and 
slowly.  In  fact,  God  takes  time  for  all  his  work ;  and,  in 
general,  we  do  not  see,  in  the  course  of  our  own  experience, 
anything  done  well  by  fits  and  starts.  So,  God  was  pleased 
to  take  six  days  to  arrange  our  present  economy.  Why  — 
wherefore  —  I  cannot  explain ;  the  fact  is  asserted,  and  that 
fact  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  analogies  that  we  see 
around  us. 

To  show  that  this  process  of  creation  in  six  consecutive 
days  is  the  original  of  the  custom,  that  prevails  in  the  world, 
of  dividing  time  into  weeks,  I  would  just  ask  any  one  to  sup- 
pose Genesis  extinguished,  and  the  facts  of  the  creation  in 
the  Mosaic  page  obliterated,  and  then  to  say  how  he  accounts 
for  the  almost  universal  division  of  time  into  periods  of  seven 
days,  or  a  week.  I  can  understand  the  occurrence  of  the 
division  of  time  into  years,  from  the  quasi-motion  of  the  sun, 
and  into  months  from  the  motion  of  the  moon ;  but  how  do 
you  account  for  time  being  divided  into  periods  of  seven  days  ? 
Is  there  anything  more  natural  in  seven  than  in  fourteen  or 
twenty  ?  And  how  do  you  account  for  this  fact,  that  when 
the  French,  in  one  of  those  paroxysms  to  which  as  a  nation 
they  seem  liable,  obliterated  the  division  of  time  into  seven 


22  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

days,  as  being  a  memorial  of  Christianity,  and  substituted, 
about  A.  D,  1790,  decades,  or  periods  of  ten  days,  the  nation 
instinctively  rushed  back  into  its  ancient  habit,  and  that  the 
French  have  now  weeks  of  seven  days,  just  as  we  have  ? 
There  must  be  something  in  this.  It  looks  like  a  surviving 
influence  projected  from  Genesis  into  the  natural  habits  of 
mankind,  retaining,  where  there  is  no  Christianity,  the  tradi- 
tional recollection  of  God's  ancient  institution,  that  in  six  days 
God  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  the  things  that  are 
therein. 

I  may  notice  that  there  seems  to  occur  a  mis-translation 
in  that  passage  —  at  least,  I  think  so  —  where  we  read  that 
there  had  been  no  rain.  I  allude  to  the  5th  and  6th  verses, 
"  The  Lord  God  had  not  caused  it  to  rain  upon  the  earth,  and 
there  was  not  a  man  to  till  the  ground.  But  there  went  up 
a  mist  from  the  earth,  and  watered  the  whole  face  of  the 
ground."  The  Hebrew  conjunction  "  but"  is  frequently  trans- 
lated "  nor,"  —  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven 
image,  and  any  likeness,"  &c. ;  but  we  very  properly  translate 
it,  "  nor  any  likeness,"  &c.  And,  therefore,  the  sixth  verse 
of  this  chapter  may  be  read  thus,  and  in  far  greater  conform- 
ity to  the  text,  while  it  alters  the  meaning  entirely :  "  The 
Lord  God  had  not  caused  it  to  rain  upon  the  earth,  and  there 
was  not  a  man  to  till  the  ground.  iN^or  did  there  go  up  a 
mist  from  the  earth,  to  water  the  whole  face  of  the  ground." 
The  assertion  is,  not  that  a  mist  did  go  up,  but  that  a  mist 
did  not  go  up ;  in  other  words,  that  there  was  no  provision 
for  that  peculiar  economy  until  afterwards,  when  man  was 
introduced,  and  that  provision  began. 

It  is  recorded  that  there  was  "  the  tree  of  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil."  Many  persons  have  speculated  about  what 
it  can  mean.  Sceptics  have  tried  to  mock  at  it,  and  Chris- 
tians have  sometimes  been  puzzled  by  it.  Was  it  a  literal 
tree  that  was  the  medium  of  these  moral  effects  ?     Or  is  there 


GENESIS  II.  23 

any  tree  still,  to  eat  which  is  to  learn  what  is  good  or  what 
is  evil  ?  I  think  not ;  I  do  not  gather  there  was  anything  in 
that  tree  more  peculiar  in  physical  character  than  in  any 
other  tree  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  except  in  its  selection. 
The  reason  of  it  was  this :  —  Man  must,  even  in  Paradise, 
have  some  visible  and  sacramental  symbol,  to  show  him  that 
he  was  a  creature  under  law,  and  dependent  upon  a  higher 
Being ;  and  therefore  God  said.  This  tree  shall  be  that  sign 
and  symbol.  You  touch  it,  and  you  will  not  find  that  any- 
thing will  rush  from  the  tree  and  smite  you,  but  that  you 
have  broken  the  law  of  your  being,  and  the  allegiance  that 
you  owe  to  God,  and  the  consequence  of  it  will  be  that  you 
shall  surely  die ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  shall  not 
touch  that  tree,  you  will  live  in  holiness  and  happiness  for- 
ever. God  might  have  said.  There  is  a  river ;  if  you  drink 
of  that  river  you  shall  surely  die.  Or,  There  is  a  little  inclosed 
ground ;  if  you  enter  that  inclosure  you  shall  surely  die.  It 
was  meant  simply  to  make  man  feel  that  he  was  a  creature, 
and  to  let  man  prove,  by  his  allegiance  to  God,  that  as  a 
creature  he  would  stand,  or,  by  his  disobedience  to  God,  that 
as  a  sinner  he  could  fall.  It  has  been  thought  —  strange  to 
say  —  that  the  fig-tree  was  the  "tree  of  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil."  It  is  certainly  remarkable  that  the  fig-tree  has 
been  selected  as  the  exponent  of  evil  among  mankind,  and  in 
Scripture  we  read  of  the  fig-tree  generally  in  a  bad  sense ; 
and  it  is  remarkable  that  a  bad  character  among  the  ancient 
Greeks  was  called  a  sycophant,  which  means  "  a  man  that 
shows  figs,"  thus  indicating  that  there  was  some  bad  associa- 
tion connected  with  the  fig-tree ;  and  other  proverbs  associated 
with  the  fig-tree  were  used  by  classical  and  heathen  nations, 
generally  having  a  bad  reference.  Hence,  some  persons  have 
argued  that  this  tree  must  have  been  "  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil."  But  that  is  to  assume  that  there  was 
something  morally  bad  in  it,  which  we  cannot  prove.     I  do 


24  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

not  think  there  is  any  evidence  to  show  that  it  was  a  tree 
selected  in  consequence  of  any  inherent  or  peculiar  qual- 
ities, but  simply  as  a  symbol  of  a  creature's  allegiance  to 
God. 

"We  read,  in  the  next  place,  "  A  river  went  out  of  Eden  to 
water  the  garden ;  and  from  thence  it  was  parted,  and  became 
into  four  heads."  This  has  puzzled  many  persons,  since  it 
seems  as  if  the  one  (Eden)  had  been  very  far  separated  from 
the  other  (the  garden).  But  perhaps  the  strict  meaning  is, 
that  the  river  sprang  up  out  of  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  thus 
watered  it.  It  does  not  necessarily  mean  that  it  came  from 
one  distant  place  (Eden)  into  "the  garden"  (another  distant 
place) ;  but  that  it  sprang  up  in  Eden,  and  went  to  water  the 
whole  garden. 

Where  Eden  was,  is  a  question,  I  think,  we  shall  never  be 
able  to  solve.  It  is  quite  plain  that  the  Noachian  deluge 
very  much  altered  the  whole  geographical  aspect  of  the  earth 
we  live  in,  and  that  the  last  traces  and  remains  of  that  gar- 
den are  swept  away.  And  you  will  recollect  that  this 
account  by  Moses  was  written  between  two  and  three  thou- 
sand years  after  the  facts  recorded ;  and  Moses  alludes,  in 
the  course  of  his  narrative,  to  what  was  its  geograjDhy  while 
he  was  writing,  and  therefore  he  speaks  of  the  name  of  the 
first  river  being  Pison,  —  "  that  is  it  which  compasseth  the 
whole  land  of  Havilah,  where  there  is  gold ;"  hereby  describ- 
ing what  existed  in  his  own  days,  when  he,  an  historian,  was 
writing,  and  what  existed  in  Paradise  when  it  was  in  its  full 
bloom,  and  beauty,  and  perfection.  It  has  been  thought, 
however,  by  most  Christian  geographers,  who  have  turned 
their  attention  to  the  subject,  that  Eden  was  situated  some- 
where extending  from  the  Indus,  on  the  east,  to  the  Nile  on 
the  west,  embracing  the  fairest  part  of  Asia,  and  a  good  part 
of  Africa  ;  and  containing  the  countries  now  known  as  Cabul, 
Persia,  Arabia,  Abyssinia,  and  a  portion  of  Egypt.     It  has 


GENESIS   II.  25 

been  thought  that  that  was  the  district  in  which  this  fair  spot 
was  situated,  and  in  which  man  was  placed,  in  order  to  culti- 
vate it. 

We  learn  from  the  expression,  "  The  Lord  God  took  the 
man,  and  put  him  into  the  garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to 
keep  it,"  that  labor  is  honorable,  and  that  it  is  compatible 
with  a  state  of  innocence.  The  curse  in  labor  is  the  excess 
of  it ;  labor  itself  is  enjoyment.  You  will  find  that  the  horse 
feels  it  enjoyment  to  put  forth  its  strength  ;  and  so,  man  felt 
it  enjoyment  to  put  forth  his  energies  in  rearing  the  flowers 
that  God  had  planted  in  the  midst  of  Eden.  The  curse  is  not 
labor,  but  the  excess  of  labor.  It  is  a  very  absurd  notion 
that  prevails,  that  labor  is  a  sort  of  mean  thing ;  it  is  a  most 
honorable  thing ;  it  was  a  feature  of  Adam  in  his  innocent 
and  Eden  state ;  and  the  poorest  laborer  is  just  as  honorable 
as  the  greatest  noble,  if  he  be  a  Christian.  We  must  not 
estimate  men  as  we  do  the  cinnamon-tree,  the  whole  of  whose 
value  is  in  its  bark,  but  by  the  heart  that  beats  beneath,  and 
the  intellect  that  thinks,  and  the  life  that  shines  out  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  will  of  God. 

Adam  gave  names  to  all  the  creatures  in  the  garden,  and 
these  names  are  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  either  expressive  or 
suggestive  of  the  properties  or  qualities  of  these  animals. 
Of  course,  there  is  a  difficulty  in  conceiving  how  all  the 
genera  and  species  of  all  the  animals  of  the  earth  could  have 
been  gathered  round  Adam.  We  know  not  how  long  he 
retained  his  innocence ;  we  know  not  how  this  was  done,  or 
whether  these  genera  or  species  could  be  reduced  to  a  much 
less  number.  We  all  know  that  zoology  has  discovered  that 
animals  which  seem  to  us  distinct  are  often  connected  with 
each  other ;  for  instance,  the  lion,  the  tiger,  and  the  common 
house  cat,  all  belong  to  the  same  great  class.  Very  probably, 
the  animals  were  generically  very  few,  as  they  might  be  now 
reduced  to  very  few  great  divisions,  and  these  were  gathered 


26  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

round  Adam.  But  if  there  had  been  millions,  an  infallible 
historian  records  the  fact,  and  therefore  it  is  true.  Here  is 
the  difference  between  miracles  recorded  in  the  Bible,  and  the 
Romish  miracles.  They  state  that  Francis  of  Assisi  preached 
to  animals,  and  that  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  came  round 
him,  and  listened  to  him.  Well,  if  that  were  recorded  in  the 
Word  of  God,  I  should  believe  it,  because  it  would  be  stated 
by  a  confessedly  infallible  historian  ;  but  when  it  is  recorded 
by  a  fallible  historian,  and  the  evidences  of  it  as  a  miracle 
are  utterly  insufficient,  then  I  cannot  accept  it  at  all.  But 
here  we  have  the  fact  stated  by  an  inspired  writer,  who  was 
infallible  in  writing ;  and  therefore  we  know  that,  however, 
difficult,  it  was  possible  to  Omnipotence  ;  that,  however 
incredible,  it  is  actual  —  for  history  —  inspired  history  — 
records  it. 

It  is  very  remarkable,  too,  that  geological  discoveries 
demonstrate  very  satisfactorily  that  man  was  last  created. 
We  notice,  that  of  all  the  races  of  animals,  and  fishes  of  the 
sea,  and  fowls  of  the  air,  which  were  dynasties  succeeding 
dynasties,  which  had  been  destroyed  thousands  of  years 
before,  man  is,  scripturally  and  geologically,  the  last.  If 
man  had  existed  before  these,  we  should  find  the  remains  of 
man,  his  skull,  his  thigh  and  leg  bones,  mixed  up  with  the 
remains  of  other  animals,  and  sometimes  man's  remains  below 
them ;  but  we  never  do  so.  The  remains  of  prior  animals 
are  found  five  or  six  miles  below  the  surface ;  but  the  remains 
of  man  are  only  found  in  the  upper  alluvial  deposits,  which 
are  not  above  one  hundred  feet  in  thickness ;  and  geology  has 
thus  demonstrated  that  man's  dynasty,  or  man's  race,  was  the 
last  created ;  in  other  words,  science  is  the  echo  of  the  decla- 
ration of  Moses,  in  the  book  of  Genesis. 

One  other  fact  is  worth  noticing  here,  and  it  is,  that  man 
was  created  the  crowning  and  the  most  noble  of  all  the  ani- 
mated races.     You  are  aware  that  certain  writers  of  a  very 


GENESIS   II.  27 

sceptic  stamp,  and,  among  the  rest,  the  author  of  the  "  Ves- 
tiges of  the  Natural  History  of  Creation,"  one  of  the  most 
unscientific  and  mischievous  books  that  have  been  written, 
hold  that  the  earth,  the  stars,  and  the  planets,  were  first 
each  a  fire-mist,  which  became  more  solid,  until,  in  time,  it 
developed  itself  into  the  earth  on  which  we  now  tread,  the 
stars  and  planets  that  we  see  ;  that  man  was  formerly,  prob- 
ably, the  lowest  zoophyte,  —  probably  a  crab,  or  an  oyster, — 
at  least  the  very  lowest  of  created  animal  life ;  and  that  grad- 
ually he  became  developed  into  his  present  state  of  perfection. 
Now,  there  is  nothing  so  triumphant  as  the  conclusions  of 
geology  on  this  very  subject.  Geology  demonstrates  in  the 
most  convincing  manner  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  trans- 
migration or  transformation  of  species  ;  that  there  is  no  such 
a  thing  as  an  animal  of  a  lower  grade  developing  itself  into 
an  animal  of  a  higher  grade.  It  shows  that  whole  races  have 
suddenly  been  destroyed,  and  that  a  creative  fiat  must  have 
interposed  and  created  another  race ;  and  it  shows  that  each 
race  was  created  in  its  highest  perfection,  and  that  the  course 
of  the  past  has  been,  not  the  development  of  a  lower  into  a 
higher  grade,  but  the  degradation  rather  of  each  particular 
race.  Such  a  disclosure  as  this  is  very  valuable,  and  it  has 
been  most  clearly  made.  It  shows  the  absurdity  of  suppos- 
ing such  a  similarity  between,  for  instance,  an  uran-outang 
and  man,  as  to  warrant  the  supposition  of  a  development  of 
the  one  into  the  other.  If  any  one  could  show  an  uran  devel- 
oping himself  into  a  man,  or  catch  him  half-way  done,  or  if 
during  the  last  six  thousand  years  one  instance  of  such  devel- 
opment could  be  demonstrated  to  have  taken  place,  the 
development  theory  would  have  some  foundation.  But  when 
you  find  that  the  uran  of  1851  is  just  the  same  as  he  was 
eighteen  hundred  years  before,  that  he  has  improved  in  no 
shape  whatever  ;  and  when  you  see  man  in  all  his  perfection 
progressing,  advancing,  developing  long  latent  and  mysterious 
3 


28  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

powers,  it  must  be  evident  that  the  gap  between  the  loftiest 
physical  organization  and  man,  is  gigantic  and  unquestionably 
inseparable.  Man,  therefore,  is  best  described  when  it  is  said, 
not  that  God  formed  man  out  of  the  highest  of  his  created 
beings,  nor  that  He  allowed  the  highest  of  them  to  develop 
itself  into  man ;  but  that  He  formed  him  "  out  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life ; 
and  man  became  a  living  soul."  That  is  the  most  philosophi- 
cal, the  most  scientific,  and,  what  is  better,  it  is  true. 

How  interesting,  then,  that  this  record,  which  infidels  have 
tried  to  sneer  at,  is  becoming  illustrated  by  every  successive 
discovery  of  science ;  and  that  it  is  beginning  to  be  found 
out  that  those  plain  people  who  read  God's  word,  and  simply 
believe  it,  are  the  true  philosophers ;  and  that  those  people 
who  are  using  long-sounding  words,  and  talking  about  things 
they  know  not  of,  under  the  pretence  of  science,  are  the  igno- 
rant, and  the  fools,  who  say  in  their  hearts,  "  There  is  no 
God."  All  lights  are  gathering  round  the  Bible.  Nature 
testifies  more  and  more  to  Christianity.    Scepticism  is  founded 


CHAPTEE    III. 

IS    GENESIS     FIGURATIVE  —  THE    SERPENT  —  WOMAN    FIRST    SEDUCED  — 

ADAM   NEXT EFFECTS    OF    FORBIDDEN    FRUIT GOSPEL   OF    EDEN  — 

woman's     CURSE  —  EVE,     ITS    MEANING  —  FLAMING    SWORD  —  CHER- 
UBIM. 

It  has  been  assumed  by  certain  commentators  on  the  Scrip- 
ture, especially  of  what  is  called  the  German  school,  that  the 
serpent  here  is  purely  figurative,  and  was  not  the  literal  rep- 
tile so  called,  and  so  universally  known.  Now,  it  seems  to 
me  that  there  is  an  mianswerable  objection  to  any  such 
hypothesis  ;  for,  if  the  serpent  was  figurative,  Adam  was 
figurative ;  Eve  was  figurative,  and  sin  too  must  be  figura- 
tive, the  fall  must  be  figurative,  and  the  whole  must  be  an 
allegory  and  a  myth.  But  since  this  cannot  be  conceded,  for 
reasons  that  need  not  now  be  recapitulated,  it  follows  that  the 
serpent  here  spoken  of  was  the  reptile  known  to  us  all,  and 
strictly  so  called. 

That  this  serpent  was  in  the  first  instance  an  extremely 
beautiful  object,  and,  as  here  described,  the  most  "  subtle," 
that  is,  the  most  suitable,  from  its  superiority  to  other  ani- 
mals, to  be  made  the  vehicle  of  the  designs  and  the  assaults 
of  Satan  ;  —  this  is  what  those  who  take  the  literal  view  of 
the  subject  have  almost  universally  concluded.  But  a  great 
deterioration  has  passed  upon  the  serpent.  Some  think  it 
moved  upright  with  great  dignity  and  majesty.  ^Ye  know 
there  is  vast  difierence  in  the  comparative  intelligence  of 
animals,  and  Satan  was  sure  to  select  the  ablest.  Who  does 
not  know  that  the  dog  is  more  intelligent  than  the  cat,  that 


30  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

the  horse  is  more  intelligent  than  the  ox  ?  And  it  may  have 
been  that  at  the  head  of  all  the  brute  creation  in  intelligence, 
making  the  nearest  approximation  to  the  human  race,  yet  at 
an  impassable  distance,  was  the  serpent. 

It  has  been  urged  as  an  objection  to  the  strict  historical 
nature  of  the  narrative,  that  the  serpent  should  have  ut- 
tered articulate  sounds.  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  ser- 
pent ever  had  the  faculty  of  speech,  but  there  is  evidence  in 
Scripture  that  God  has  made  animals  the  vehicle  of  voice, 
and  so  we  may  infer  that  Satan  may  have  had  the  power, 
not  omnipotent,  but  great  and  equal  to  do  this.  It  is  not  an 
impossible  thing.  We  read  that  the  ass  of  Balaam  spoke  in 
human  speech  through  the  power  of  God.  It  may  be  that 
the  serpent  was  for  the  time  gifted  with  vocal  power  under 
the  power  of  the  archangel  fallen,  who  had  still  an  archangel's 
power,  though  associated  with  it  a  fiend's  depravity  and 
wickedness.  But,  whatever  be  the  explanation  of  the  fact, 
the  fact  is  asserted  in  the  inspired  Record,  and  we  know,  upon 
other  grounds,  that  what  God  relates  here  is  true,  and  upon 
this  ground  alone,  that  God  has  said  it.  But  it  is  perfectly 
legitimate  for  us,  by  analogies,  and  by  bringing  together  prob- 
abilities, to  vindicate,  if  such  vindication  be  needed,  not  to 
Christians,  but  to  others,  not  only  the  way,  but  the  words  of 
God  to  man. 

That  the  serpent  did  not  speak  merely  of  himself,  or  by  any 
intelligence  with  which  he  was  originally  endowed,  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  his  speech  indicated  reasoning,  subtlety, 
logic,  combined  with  wickedness,  which  can  only  be  accounted 
for  by  the  hypothesis  that  Satan  —  the  archangel  fallen  — 
took  possession  of  the  serpent,  and  made  that  animal,  the 
most  subtle  in  itself,  the  most  fit  for  his  purpose,  the  most 
likely  to  deceive  Eve,  because  she  had  learned  that  the 
serpent  was  the  most  subtle,  and  the  most  gifted  of  the  brutes 
of  the  field  ;  this  animal  Satan  seized  and  made  the  vehicle  of 


GENESIS   III. 


ii 


his  assault  upon  our  first  parents,  and  succeeded,  through  this 
device,  in  seducing  them  from  their  allegiance  to  God.  We 
read  that  the  serpent  approached  first  the  woman.  She  was 
then,  as  she  is  now,  not  the  weakest  in  intellect,  but  the  most 
susceptible  of  impression,  and  in  her  innocence  perhaps  the 
least  suspicious  of  evil ;  and  most  likely,  therefore,  by  a  bold 
and  yet  subtle  assault,  to  be  carried  away.  If  he  had  ap- 
proached Adam,  there  would  have  been  needed  much  stronger 
reasoning,  less  appeal  to  the  tenderness  and  supposed  mercy 
of  God,  which  so  skilfully  characterizes  the  subtle  logic  that 
he  employed  on  this  occasion.  "  Yea,  hath  God  said  ?"  Are 
you  sure  of  this,  now  ?  Are  you  sure  that,  if  he  did  say, 
"  Ye  shall  surely  die,"  you  are  putting  the  right  meaning 
upon  it  ?  Now,  how  subtle  was  this  !  how  fitted  to  throw 
Eve  off  her  guard,  and  while  off  her  guard  to  become  his  vic- 
tim !  The  woman,  instead  of  saying  to  the  serpent  what  she 
did,  ought  to  have  said  what  the  bruiser  of  his  head  did  after- 
wards, "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan.  It  is  written.  Thou 
shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God."  But  she  did  not  yield  to 
the  first,  in  morals  the  ever  purest,  impression.  When  you 
are  going  to  take  a  step  in  politics  or  in  science,  think  twice, 
thrice,  four  times,  before  you  take  it ;  but  in  moral  things  the 
first  blush  of  the  subject  is  generally  the  true  one.  Eve, 
instead  of  instantly  resisting  Satan,  when  he  would  have  fled 
from  her,  held  communion  with  him.  "  We  may  eat  of  the 
fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden."  What  business  had  she 
telling  him  so  ?  He  had  no  right  to  have  such  information, 
and  she  had  no  commission  to  give  it.  "  But  of  the  fruit  of 
the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  God  hath  said" 
(that  was  good),  "  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it  "  (that  was  good), 
"  neither  shall  ye  touch  it  "  (that  was  good),  "  lest  ye  die." 
Here  she  falters ;  she  lost  or  left  out  part  of  the  penalty  in 
her  repetition  of  it.  God's  sentence  was,  "  Thou  shalt  siu-ely 
die  "  {7notk  tamoth),  "  Dying  thou  shalt  die;  "  that  is,  "  Thou 
3^ 


32  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

shalt  surely,  terribly,  disastrously  die."  But  she  said,  "  Lest 
ye  die."  Here  she  was  letting  go  a  fragment  of  God's  word, 
and  letting  go,  in  that  fragment,  an  element  of  strength,  per- 
sistency and  triumph.  Well,  then,  the  serpent  said,  when  he 
had  so  far  persuaded  her,  "  Ye  shall  not  surely  die."  You 
observe,  he  saw  that  he  was  listened  to ;  that  he  was  not 
repelled ;  that  the  real  and  only  successful  process  of  "  resist- 
ing and  he  shall  flee  "  was  not  adopted ;  and,  therefore,  having 
carried  the  outside  fortification,  he  now  approached  nearer 
and  closer,  and  assailed  her  still  more  vigorously.  The  ser- 
pent said,  "  Ye  shall  not  surely  die."  You  observe,  he 
quoted  God's  word  incoi-rectly.  "  You  may  find  it  otherwise,  ■ 
and  something  good,  not  evil,  may  happen  to  you ;  but  you 
shall  not  surely  die ;  "  thus  assuming  to  be  a  messenger  from 
God ;  for  even  Satan  is  transformed  into  an  anojel  of  lisfht. 
"  Ye  shall  not  surely  die ;  for  God  doth  know  that  in  the  day 
ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be  opened."  Instead  of 
a  calamity  overtaking  you,  "  ye  shall  be  as  gods,"  or  "  God ;  " 
for  I  told  you  that  Elohim  (God)  is  generally  used  in  the  plural 
number  (gods) ;  and,  therefore,  "  as  gods  "  should  be  trans- 
lated "  as  God  himself;  "  that  is,  you  may  take  a  step  in 
that  upward  and  glorious  progression  which  is  the  destiny  of 
an  immortal  being,  and,  instead  of  sinking  as  you  fancy,  you 
shall  be  "  as  God  himself,  knowing  good  and  evil." 

The  expression,  "  knowing  good  and  evil,"  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  Eve  had  some  idea  of  what  evil  was,  and  that 
there  was,  therefore,  as  I  shall  explain  to  you  in  the  course 
of  my  sermon,  evil  prior  to  the  creation  of  man.  And, 
therefore,  it  may  be  presumed  that  she  had  been  informed  of 
such  an  occurrence  before.  And  the  very  penalty,  "  In  the 
day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die,"  implies 
that  Adam  had  some  idea  of  what  death  was  ;  for  how  could 
it  be  a  penalty  that  they  should  dread,  if  they  had  not  some 
idea  of  what  death  really  meant  ? 


GENESIS   III.  33 

"  And  when  tlie  woman  saw  that  the  trei3  was  good  for 
food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a  tree  to  be 
desired  to  make  one  wise,"  she  forgot  the  prohibition.  Many 
things  taste  sweet,  but  they  may  not  be  right.  3Iany  things 
look  beautiful,  but  they  may  not  be  lawful.  Eve,  therefore, 
instead  of  falling  back  on  God's  prohibition,  "Thou  shalt 
not,"  looked  at  the  attractions  of  the  thing,  not  at  the  testi- 
mony of  God  who  made  it,  and  made  her  senses  the  arbiters 
of  right  and  wrong.  "  And  when  the  woman  saw  that  the 
tree  was  good  for  food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes, 
and  a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise,"  believing  what 
Satan  said,  "  she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat,  and 
gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her ;  and  he  did  eat."  You 
observe,  in  her  utterance  of  this  last  sentence,  she  had  lost  all 
recollection  of  God's  prohibition.  She  accepted  and  believed 
Satan's  prophecy,  and  she  saw,  too,  that  the  tree  was  good  for 
food,  and,  therefore,  reckless  of  the  interdict  of  God,  she  ate 
of  it.  Men  do  things  without  thinking  whether  God  has  said 
"  Thou  shalt,"  or,  "  Thou  shalt  not ;  "  judging  only  of  the 
pleasure  of  the  thing,  and  forgetting  that  the  blossom  often 
that  looks  the  most  beautiful,  and  smells  the  most  fragrant, 
contains  in  itself  the  most  deadly  poison. 

Adam  took  of  it  also.  It  seems  remarkable  that  he  did 
not  hesitate.  Nothing  is  said  about  his  hesitation ;  and  it 
was,  no  doubt,  under  her  influence  and  eloquent  persuasion, 
or,  very  likely,  from  the  warm  attachment  that  he  had  to 
her,  that  made  him  so  easily  capitulate.  It  is  the  fact,  still, 
that  woman's  power  is  not  as  ours  is  —  masculine,  or  mainly 
intellectual ;  but,  yet,  she  wields  a  power,  more  subtle  it  may 
be,  less  felt  and  seen  it  may  be,  but  not  less  surely  successful. 
And  many  husbands,  who  think  they  are  the  governors,  are 
practically  the  most  thoroughly  governed.  And  so  Adam, 
without  protesting,  without  one  recorded  word  of  doubt, 
obeyed  his  wife,  and  took  of  the  fruit,  "  and  he  did  eat." 


84  SCRIPTURE    nr.ADTNOS. 

And  then  "  the  eyes  of  them  both  were  opened,"  and  they 
discovered,  what  they  never  thought  of  before,  "  that  they 
were  naked,"  and  they  heard  God's  voice,  once  so  lovely,  — 
no  longer  musical,  but  the  reverse,  —  saying,  "  Where  art 
thou  ? "  WTiat  has  become  of  you  ?  Adam  gave  as  his 
apology  what  he  at  first  saw,  that  he  was  naked,  and  there- 
fore had  run  to  hide  himself.  And  God,  desirous  he  should 
see  there  was  something  wrong,  said,  "  Who  told  thee  that 
thou  wast  naked  ?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree,  whereof 
I  commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldest  not  eat  ? "  "WTienever 
you  see  anything  wi'ong  in  a  man's  mind,  you  should  alwaj^s 
try  to  ascertain  whether  the  cause  of  it  is  not  what  God 
attributes  as  the  cause  of  Adam's  disorder,  "Hast  thou  eaten 
of  that  which  I  forbade  thee  ? "  Trouble  has  a  visible  or 
invisible,  but  real,  connection  with  sin. 

Now,  what  was  Adam's  excuse?  Just  what  we  should 
have  expected.  The  whole  of  this  is  so  exquisitely  true  to 
nature,  it  is  so  completely  what  we  should  have  thought  to  be 
our  own  habit,  or  temper,  or  practice,  in  similar  circumstances, 
that  we  must  see  that,  if  this  were  not  inspired,  Moses  must 
have  been  infinitely  more  than  man.  Adam  said  not,  "  0 
God,  I  have  sinned,  I  have  broken  thy  law,  have  mercy  upon 
me ;  "  but,  "  The  woman  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave 
me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat."  Surely  this  was  very  cow- 
ardly on  the  part  of  Adam.  It  was  not  only  so,  but  it  indi- 
cated also  a  terrible  degeneracy.  He  threw  the  blame  off  his 
own  shoul-ders,  where  it  justly  rested,  and  put  it  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  poor  Eve  ;  as  if  she  alone  was  guilty,  and  he  purely 
innocent.  And  what  seemed  designed  to  lighten  her  load  was 
meant  at  the  same  time  to  dishonor  God.  He  therefore  said, 
"  The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  gave  me." 
Why  didst  thou  give  me  such  a  woman  ?  If  thou  art  angry 
with  me  for  eating  this,  remember  "  the  woman  whom  thou 
gavest  to  be  with  me,  it  was  she  gave  me  of  the  tree."     And 


GENESIS   III.  35 

thus  he  threw  the  blame  partly  upon  Eve,  and  partly  upon 
God ;  but,  as  to  himself,  he,  self-righteous  man,  deserved  no 
condemnation.  Is  not  this  human  nature  still  ?  God,  merci- 
fully silent  here,  where  censure  was  so  deeply  deserved,  spoke 
to  the  woman,  traced  it  to  her,  and  said,  "  What  is  this  that 
thou  hast  done  ? "  Now,  just  notice  how  completely  the 
woman  was  the  reflection  of  the  man.  "  And  the  woman 
said.  The  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did  eat."  I  am  per- 
fectly innocent,  I  deserve  no  censure,  I  could  not  help  it ;  it 
was  "  the  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did  eat."  I  am  not  to 
blame,  says  the  young  man ;  it  was  my  position,  my  habit,  my 
temper,  my  circumstances,  ten  thousand  things  except  myself; 
the  character  of  man  being,  that  he  does  not  care  where  the 
guilt  lies,  so  that  he  can  throw  it  off  his  own  shoulders.  God 
bore  and  forbore,  and,  graciously  silent  still,  he  turned  to  the 
serpent,  and  said,  "Because  thou  hast  done  this,  thou  art  cursed 
above  all  cattle,  and  above  every  beast  of  the  field ;  upon 
thy  belly  shalt  thou  go,"  —  the  very  curse  indicating  indi- 
rectly, but  really,  how  the  serpent  had  moved  before,  —  "  and 
dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life ;  and  I  will  put 
enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed  ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise 
his  heel."  Here  is  the  first  promise  of  the  Gospel.  It  sounds 
along  the  centuries.  We  translate  the  seed,  "  it ; "  whereas 
it  should  be  "  he,"  since  afterwards  it  is  rightly  translated 
"  his."  In  the  Douay  translation  it  is  translated,  "  She  shall 
bruise  thy  head ;  "  and  there  is  a  foot-note  that  states,  "  She, 
the  woman."  Now,  every  person  who  knows  the  Hebrew 
grammar  is  aware  that  the  word  here  used  is  Hu,  which  must 
be  either  masculine  or  neuter.  It  cannot  be  feminine.  It 
must  be  masculine  here,  and  it  ought  to  be  translated  "  he." 
And  if  we  take  the  Septuagint  version,  which  was  made  three 
hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  therefore  quite 
irrespective  of  any  subsequent  or  present  controversy,  we  shall 


36  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

find  the  word  rendered  ulroi,  that  is,  in  the  masculine  gender, 
"  he  shall  bruise  thy  head."  So  early  was  the  Gospel 
preached.  So  soon  does  Romanism  commence  its  assaults.  I 
know  not  whether  it  be  part  of  that  enmity  or  not,  but  is  it 
not  true  that  the  reptile  which  the  human  race  most  thor- 
oughly and  universall}^  loathes,  is  just  the  serpent  ?  1  do  not 
know  why  it  is,  but  it  is  the  universal  feeling.  Whetlier  it 
arise  from  the  peculiar  structure  of  the  reptile,  or  from  a  dead 
traditional  recollection,  having  its  birth  in  the  record  con- 
tained in  this  chapter,  I  know  not,  but  the  flict  is  as  I  have 
now  stated  it. 

The  curse  is  now  pronounced  upon  Adam  and  Eve.  "  Unto 
the  woman  he  said,  I  will  greatly  multiply  thy  sorrow  and 
thy  conception ;  in  sorrow  thou  shalt  bring  forth  children ; 
and  thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy  husband,  and  he  shall  rule  over 
thee.  And  unto  Adam  he  said.  Because  thou  hast  hearkened 
unto  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which 
I  commanded  thee,  saying,  Thou  shalt  not  cat  of  it ;  cursed 
is  the  ground  for  thy  sake  ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thoii  eat  of  it  all 
the  days  of  thy  life ;  thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring 
forth  to  thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  field ;  in  the 
sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto 
the  ground  ;  for  out  of  it  wast  thou  taken  ;  for  dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  AVoman  bears  witness  to 
her  participation  of  the  curse.  Had  it  never  alighted  on  her, 
she  had  never  endured  the  greatest  of  all  pains.  Yet  does 
she  rise  toward  equality  with  her  husband,  and  to  superiority 
over  her  sufferings,  where  Christian  influence  is  greatest.  In 
the  recent  discovery  of  chloroform,  and  its  peculiar  triumphs 
here,  we  have  a  foreshadow  of  her  ultimate  emancipation  — 
a  proof,  at  least,  of  science  given  to  man,  to  tell  him  how  pos- 
sible is  painless  childbirth,  how  probable  its  return.  Poor  man 
still  earns  bread  with  hand  or  head,  and  in  either  case  with 
the  Bweat  of  his  brow. 


GENESIS   III.  37 

Then  Adam,  it  is  said,  "  called  his  wife's  name  Eve  ; 
because  she  was  the  mother  of  all  living."  I  think  the  ordi- 
nary idea  of  this  change  of  name  is  an  erroneous  one.  Most 
persons  think  he  called  her  Eve  because  she  became  the 
mother  of  the  whole  human  race.  But  God  said,  before  this, 
"  Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth  ;"  and  she 
would  have  been  the  mother  of  all  living,  if  she  had  retained 
her  innocence.  And,  therefore,  that  does  not  warrant  the 
change  of  name  from  Isha  to  "Eve,  the  mother  of  all  living." 
He  called  her  first  Isha,  that  is,  "  Manness,"  or  "  Woman," 
as  we  express  it.  But  he  says,  "  I  will  no  longer  call  her 
Isha,  but  Chavah^^  which  means  "  a  mother,"  or  "  the  living 
one,"  or  "  the  life."  Now,  why  was  this  ?  I  am  convinced 
that  the  true  explanation  of  it  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the 
promise  here  made  was  not  "  to  seeds,  as  of  many,  but  as  of 
one,"  that  is,  as  of  Abraham's,  and  because  of  Abraham's 
also  of  Eve's.  I  believe  that  Adam  accepted  the  glorious 
promise,  "  He  shall  bruise  thy  head,"  as  the  foundation  of 
his  hope,  and  in  it  he  saw  that  in  the  course  of  coming  cen- 
turies a  Messiah  should  be  born,  —  the  Reclaimer  of  Para- 
dise, the  Destroyer  of  the  serpent,  the  Son  of  Mary,  Jesus, 
our  only  Bedeemer,  Prince  and  Saviour,  —  and  that  it  was 
with  reference  to  Him,  therefore,  and  not  with  reference  to 
all  humanity,  that  he  changed  the  name  of  Eve,  and  called 
her,  instead  of  Isha,  Chavah,  or  Eve.  This  glorious  hope  was 
worthy  of  a  new  name. 

We  read,  here,  that  "  He  placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden 
of  Eden  cherubims  and  a  flaming  sword,  which  turned  every 
way,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life."  This  has  been  the 
subject  of  very  great  and  very  protracted  inquiry.  And 
when  you  notice  that  the  cheiTibim  placed  here  play, so  great 
a  part  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  human  race,  you  must 
see  that  there  is  more  significance  than  meets  the  eye  in  the 
fact  that  "  He  placed  cherubims  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of 


88  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Eden."  We  read  in  the  book  of  Exodus,  25  :  17—20,  that 
Moses  was  to  make,  according  to  the  commandment  of  God, 
"  a  mercy-seat  of  pure  gold :  two  cubits  and  a  half  shall  be 
the  length  thereof,  and  a  cubit  and  a  half  the  breadth  thereof. 
And  thou  shalt  make,"  says  God,  "two  cherubims  of  gold,  of 
beaten  work  shalt  thou  make  them,  in  the  two  ends  of  the 
mercy-seat.  And  make  one  cherub  on  the  one  end,  and  the 
other  cherub  on  the  other  end :  even  of  the  mercy-seat  shall 
ye  make  the  cherubims  on  the  two  ends  thereof  And  the 
cherubims  shall  stretch  forth  their  wings  on  high,  covering 
the  mercy-seat  with  their  wings,  and  their  faces  shall  look 
one  to  another ;  toward  the  mercy-seat  shall  the  faces  of  the 
cherubims  be."  Now,  Moses  knew  of  this  last  fact  when  he 
wrote  this  chapter,  and  he  knew  also  the  other  fact,  that  God 
is  represented,  in  the  Psalms  and  elsewhere,  as  "  Thou  that 
dwellest  between  the  cherubims."  We  know,  also,  that  the 
mercy-seat  may  be  translated  "  propitiatory  ; "  and  the  apos- 
tle says,  Christ  is  our  propitiatory  or  mercy-seat.  It  does 
appear  to  me,  therefore,  that  the  cherubim  were  placed  here 
in  order  to  teach  man,  by  a  foreshadow  and  a  prophecy,  the 
coming  restoration,  when  the  mercy-seat  should  be  erected  in 
the  tabernacle,  and  find  in  the  fulness  of  the  times  its  antitype 
in  Christ,  the  true  propitiation,  not  only  for  our  sins,  but  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  world.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  you 
will  recollect  that  the  cherubim  were  in  the  temple,  overshad- 
owing the  mercy-seat,  and  that  it  was  towards  the  mercy-seat 
that  the  Jews  worshipped,  and  that  it  was  there,  also,  that 
the  glory,  the  Shechinah,  rested.  You  will  recollect  that  the 
word  "  Shechinah "  comes  from  the  word  Shahan,  which 
means,  to  place,  plant.  And  if  this  passage  were  literally 
translated,  it  would  be,  "  He  shechinaed  at  the  east  of  the 
garden  of  Eden  cherubims."  And  thus  we  find  another  allu- 
sion to  the  mercy-seat  in  the  tabernacle,  which  was  a  type 
and  shadow  of  the  great  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.     Let  us 


GENESIS    III.  39 

also  recollect  what  Peter  says,  "  Which  things  the  angels 
desire  to  look  into  ;"  and  at  the  same  time  remember  that 
the  cherubim  looked  down  on  the  mercy-seat  which  was 
between  them  ;  and  thus  you  have  an  explanation  of  Peter's 
remarkable  allusion.  Another  reason,  too,  which  shows  that 
these  chei-ubim  were  meant  to  indicate  some  reference  to  the 
Gospel,  may  be  gathered  from  the  passage  where  it  is  said 
that  Cain,  after  he  "  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
dwelt  in  the  land  of  Nod,  on  the  east  of  Eden,"  which  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  cherubim  were  to  Adam  and  Eve 
what  the  mercy-seat  with  its  cherubim  was  to  the  Jews,  and 
what  Chi*ist,  who  is  everywhere,  is  to  us,  —  the  great  sign 
and  symbol  of  an  Atonement ;  a  visible  pledge  that  a  Saviour 
would  come  in  the  fulness  of  time,  according  to  prophecy. 

But,  you  ask,  AVhat  was  the  flaming  sword  ?  It  was  per- 
fectly distinct  and  separate  from  the  cherubim.  It  is  not  said 
that  the  cherubim  had  a  flaming  sword  in  their  hands,  but  it 
says  that  "  he  placed  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  cher- 
ubim and  a  flaming  sword,  which  turned  every  way  upon 
itself,"  as  it  should  be  rendered.  The  flaming  sword  was  to 
them  the  symbol  of  the  Paradise  they  had  lost ;  and  the 
cherubim  pointed  them  to  a  paradise  that  was  yet  to  be 
regained  through  the  death  and  the  atonement  of  the  Lamb. 

I  must  revert  to  the  expression,  "  Behold,  the  man  is 
become  as  one  of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil :  and  now,  lest 
he  put  forth  his  hand,  and  take  also  of  the  tree  of  life,  and 
live  forever."  This  expression  ought  to  be  understood  —  if 
not  literally,  yet  truly,  interpreted  —  "Adam  has  made  the 
attempt  to  become  as  one  of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil ;  and 
now,  lest  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and,  by  taking  also  of  the 
tree  of  life,  and  eating,  attempt  to  live  forever."  If  Adam 
had  taken  of  the  tree  of  life,  he  would  not  have  lived  for- 
ever. If  he  had  not  eaten  of  "  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,"  he  would  have  had  access  to  this  tree,  and 
4 


40  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

have  been  immortal ;  but,  since  he  had  forfeited  the  thing 
BignifieJ,  —  obedience  and  its  consequences,  eternal  life,  —  to 
lay  hold  upon  "  the  tree  of  life  "  would  have  been  just  like 
those  of  modern  times,  —  Komanists  and  Tractarians,  —  who 
lay  hold  on  baptism,  and  think  they  obtain  regeneration  by 
using  the  mere  sacramental  sign ;  or,  that  they  obtain  com- 
munion with  the  body  of  Christ  by  eating  the  bread  and 
drinking  the  wine,  which  are  the  mere  symbols  of  that  com- 
munion. This  would  have  been  to  trust  to  the  sacramental 
sign,  when  he  had  lost  the  thing  that  was  signified  ;  it  would 
have  added  to  his  sufi'erings,  not  removed  them. 

How  truly  does  this  history  commend  itself  to  our  reason", 
to  our  conscience,  to  our  hearts ;  how  truly  it  looks  like  the 
real,  how  little  like  the  fabulous  ;  how  sublime  is  its  record 
beside  any  other  account  of  the  introduction  of  sin,  and  death, 
and  all  our  woe  !  Let  us  be  under  a  sense  of  what  man  has 
made  himself ;  —  let  us  gratefully  adore  that  sovereign  love 
which  has  interposed  to  save.  0  Lord,  create  us  again  to 
good  works  I 


CHAPTER    IV. 

EVE  A  MOTHER  —  BIRTH  OF  CAIN  —  THE  OFFERINGS  OP  CAIN  AND 
ABEL DEATH  OF  ABEL ARRAIGNMENT  OP  CAIN SIN  CUMULA- 
TIVE   CAIN-MARK POLYGAMY. 

In  the  chapter  which  I  have  now  read,  we  have  another 
and  a  new  phasis  in  that  intensely  interesting  history  which 
is  contained  in  the  word  of  God  alone,  and  for  which  we  are 
indebted  to  inspiration  alone.  We  have  seen  Eve  as  the 
innocent  inhabitant  of  Eden,  when  all  around  was  beauty, 
and  all  within  was  happiness.  We  have  followed  her  next, 
as  an  exile  from  Eden,  a  wanderer  on  the  earth,  and  a  suf- 
ferer ;  and  we  now  find  her  in  a  new  relationship,  and,  to 
her,  a  strange  and  a  mysterious  one.  She  brought  forth,  it 
is  said,  her  first-born,  and  she  said,  in  the  ecstasy  of  her 
heart,  "  I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord."  Here,  on  this 
occasion,  was  the  realization  of  that  which  was  stated  by  our 
blessed  Lord,  when  he  said,  "A  woman,  when  she  is  in  travail, 
hath  sorrow  "  ("  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth  children  "), 
"  because  her  hour  is  come  ;  but,  as  soon  as  she  is  delivered 
of  the  child,  she  remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  joy 
that  a  man  is  born  into  the  world."  Eve,  on  the  birth  of 
Cain,  exclaimed,  as  I  have  said,  "  I  have  gotten  a  man  from 
the  Lord."  There  was,  I  think,  a  double  joy  here ;  there 
was  the  joy  of  a  mother  over  her  first-born,  and  there  was 
the  joy  of  a  Christian  mother  under  the  belief,  though  the 
illusive  belief,  that  this  Cain  born  to  her  now  was  the  prom- 
ised Messiah.  There  is  no  reason  in  the  world  why  she 
should  have  so  distinguished  Cain,  except  the  mistaken  idea 


42  SCRIFfURE   READINGS. 

that  Cain  was  the  promised  seed,  of  whom  the  promise  was 
given  in  Eden,  that  the  woman's  son  should  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head.  Eve  thought  that  she  was  that  woman,  and 
that  Cain  was  that  promised  son,  and  that  now  she  would  be 
reinstated  in  her  lost  inheritance,  replaced  in  Paradise,  and 
be  happy  once  again.  And,  therefore,  she  said,  as  it  might 
be  translated,  "  I  have  gotten  the  man  Jehovah,"  which  is  a 
perfectly  correct  and  just  translation,  and  evidently  allusive 
to  the  promise  of  the  Messiah,  whom  she  expected. 

In  contrast  to  Cain,  when  Abel  was  born,  she  called  him 
"frailty  and  vanity."  She  did  not  look  upon  him  as  so 
momentous  and  impressive  a  gift.  She  regarded  Cain  as 
really  the  promised  Messiah,  and  Abel  as  "  frailty,"  or  "  van- 
ity." How  bitterly  mistaken  was  poor  Eve  !  Cain,  instead 
of  being  a  deliverer  from  sin,  was  in  fact  the  first  murderer  ; 
and  Abel,  instead  of  being  the  worthless  thing  that  she 
thought  him,  proved  the  first  holy  and  faithful  martyr. 
Many  a  mother  thinks  she  has  an  Abel,  when  she  has  a 
Cain ;  and  some  a  Cain,  when  it  turns  out  an  Abel.  It 
depends,  perhaps,  less  upon  original  character,  more  upon 
subsequent  training,  whether  it  shall  be  the  one  or  the  other. 
At  all  events,  whilst  grace  has  its  mighty,  its  all-important 
part  to  play  in  the  formation  of  character,  it  remains  yet 
tiTie,  —  "Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go,  and 
when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it."  Cain  and  Abel 
were  born  with  equally  depraved  hearts.  Both  equally 
needed  the  regeneration  of  God's  Holy  Spirit.  One  lived 
and  died  without  it ;  the  other  lived  under  it,  and  entered 
into  the  joy  for  which  it  prepared  him. 

We  read  of  Cain  and  Abel's  ofi"erings.  Both  of  them 
plainly  acknowlcd^'cd  that  it  was  dutiful  and  right  to  give 
worship  unto  God.  Both,  too,  we  may  observe,  acknowledged 
that  there  was  but  one  true  and  living  God,  and  that  to  him 
alone  they  ought  to  give  worship.    Now,  so  far  both  coincided; 


GENESIS  IV.  43 

but  it  is  evident  that  the  one  worshipped  the  true  God  in  a 
way  that  was  not  acceptable,  and  that  the  other  worshipped 
the  same  true  God  in  a  way  that  was  acceptable.  Wherein 
lay  the  cause  of  this  difference  ?  Wherein  lies  the  great 
diversity  in  the  offerings,  which  made  the  one  to  be  so  ac- 
cepted, and  the  other  to  be  rejected?  The  first  reason  was 
doubtless  in  the  offerers  themselves.  Cain  was  an  unholy,  an 
ungodly,  and  an  unrighteous  man ;  Abel  was  a  holy,  a  good, 
and  a  righteous  man.  It  is  not  the  offering  that  makes  the 
offerer  accepted ;  it  is  the  offerer  who  is  accepted  first,  and 
the  offering  that  is  accepted  next.  But  there  was  also  in  the 
nature  and  meaning  of  the  two  offerings  a  very  great  differ- 
ence. The  offering  of  the  one  was  the  sacrifice  of  a  living 
animal,  the  shedding  of  its  blood,  and  the  burning  it  upon  the 
altar  as  an  oblation  to  God.  The  sacrifice  of  the  other  —  if 
such  it  might  be  called  —  was  a  garland  of  flowers,  or  a  basket 
of  fair  and  fragrant  fruit.  One  would  have  said  a  priori  — 
that  is,  if  one  were  ignorant  of  the  result  —  Cain's  offering 
must  certainly  have  been  accepted;  for  what  can  be  more 
acceptable  than  offering  this  bouquet  of  beautiful  flowers,  and 
this  basket  of  fair  and  fragrant  fruit,  and  dedicating  them  to 
God,  and  saying  to  God,  in  a  hymn  of  adoration,  "  0,  Lord ! 
I  give  thee  these.  Thy  smile  has  given  every  tint  to  every 
blossom ;  thy  breath  has  given  its  fragrance  to  every  flower ; 
and  I  devote  these  to  thee,  thou  Creator,  thou  Preserver  of 
all,  as  the  expression  of  my  gratitude  —  as  the  medium  of 
my  worship." 

One  would  have  said,  such  surely  is  just  the  offering  that 
will  be  accepted.  And  when  Abel  brought  his  offering,  and 
plunged  the  knife  into  the  heart  of  an  innocent  lamb,  shed  its 
blood  upon  the  altar,  and  then  asked  God  to  accept  it,  one 
would  have  said,  Surely,  Abel's  offering  will  be  rejected. 
Naturally,  one  would  have  said  so.  But  then  the  world  was 
not  in  its  natural  state,  man  was  not  in  his  natural  state ;  sin 
4# 


44  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

had  crept  in ;  there  was  a  great  chasm  between  the  creature 
and  God:  a  new  mode  of  access  is  needed;  and  there  was 
indicated  to  Adam  in  Paradise,  by  the  skins  of  the  animals 
in  which  he  was  clothed,  the  necessity,  the  duty,  and  the 
acceptableness  of  animal  sacrifices.  And,  therefore,  the  differ- 
ence between  these  two  offerings  lay  in  this :  —  Cain  recog- 
nized God  as  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  all,  but  nothing 
more ;  Abel  recognized  God,  along  with  Cain,  as  the  Creator 
and  the  Preserver  of  all,  but  he  added  another  article  to  his 
creed,  enunciated  at  the  Fall,  that  man  had  sinned,  that  with- 
out shedding  of  blood  there  could  be  no  restoration  of  man ; 
and,  therefore,  in  prospective  faith  Abel  by  his  offering  already 
rested  on  the  Lamb  of  God  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  and  thus  through  faith  found  acceptance  where  Cain 
found  none.  In  other  words,  the  one  was  a  deistic  offering, 
the  other  was  an  evangelical  and  Protestant  sacrifice.  The 
one  looked  upon  God  simply  as  Creator  and  Preserver,  and 
on  man  as  innocent ;  the  other  looked  upon  God  as  a  God 
who  hated  sin,  and  upon  himself  as  a  sinner,  and  regarded 
expiatory  sacrifice  as  the  only  medium  of  obtaining  mercy, 
and  thus  prayed  for  pardon,  mercy,  and  acceptance.  The 
result  is  in  the  record,  that  the  one  was  accepted,  and  the 
other  not.  How,  we  may  inquire,  was  it  accepted  ?  How  did 
Cain  and  Abel  know  that  it  was  accepted  ?  I  informed  you 
in  my  last,  when  I  read  the  preceding  chapter,  that  the 
shechinah  was  placed  at  the  gates  of  Paradise,  and  the  flam- 
ing sword  that  turned  upon  itself  in  all  directions.  And  that 
this  was  the  holy  place  is  rendered  very  probable  from  the 
fact  that  Cain,  when  he  left  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  went  to 
dwell  at  the  east  of  Eden,  which  was  the  very  place  where 
the  cherubims,  and  the  mercy-seat,  and  the  shechinah  were, 
which  were  afterwards  placed  in  the  temple,  where  they  were 
recognized  as  the  types  of  the  great  atonement  made  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.     And,  as  we  read  that,  when  the  sacri- 


GENESIS   IV.  45 

fices  of  old  were  accepted,  fire  fell  down  from  heaven  and 
consumed  them,  it  may  have  been  that  a  ray  from  that  she- 
chinah  lighted  upon  the  sacrifice  of  Abel  and  consumed  it ; 
and  that  Cain's  remained,  or  faded  away,  as  blasted  and 
withered  flowers.  But,  whatever  was  the  mode,  it  is  stated 
that  the  one  was  visibly  accepted,  and  the  other  was  indis- 
putably refused. 

But  what  was  the  consequence  of  this  ?  The  right  conse- 
quence ought  to  have  been  that  Cain,  humbled  on  seeing  his 
error,  should  have  confessed  it,  and  worshipped  as  Abel  did. 
But  human  nature  had  undergone  its  sad  deterioration ;  envy 
had  expelled  love,  and  jealousy  peace ;  and,  therefore,  seeing 
hie  brother  Abel  was  the  friend  of  God,  and  in  the  matter  of 
his  service  visibly  accepted  by  Him,  he  rose  up,  not  against 
himself,  who  really  was  to  blame,  but  against  his  unoffending 
brother  Abel,  who  had  only  done  that  which  was  right,  in 
contrast  to  his  brother,  who  had  done  that  which  was  wholly 
wrong.  All  sin  is  persecuting.  Self-righteousness  hates. 
Not  only  does  man  impute  his  own  faults,  as  Adam  threw  his 
upon  Eve,  and  Eve  did  upon  the  serpent ;  but,  when  he  sees 
others  more  prospered  and  accepted  than  himself,  the  Cain 
spirit  produces  the  Cain-mark,  and  prompts  him  to  rise  up 
against  the  righteous,  because  his  own  works  are  evil,  and 
his  countenance  to  fall,  and  his  spirit  to  grow  chafed  with 
that  which  ought  to  humble  and  subdue. 

God  spake  to  Cain,  when  he  found  him  in  this  state,  and 
asked  him  "Where  is  Abel,  thy  brother  ?"  —  a  question  sug- 
gestive of  guilt  rather  than  a  reply.  I  do  not  think  it  is  alto- 
gether fair  to  pronounce  Cain  to  be  a  murderer  in  the  strict  and 
severe  sense  in  which  we  employ  that  epithet.  Murder,  1 
think  it  is  admitted  by  all  jurists  and  judges,  means  premedi- 
tated or  deliberate  design  to  take  away  the  life  of  another 
carried  out  into  act.  I  do  not  believe  that  Cain  yet  knew 
that  the  blow  he  dealt  his  brother  would  destroy  life.     Cain 


46  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

had  never  seen  death,  or  understood  its  awM  significance ;  he 
had  never  seen,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  a  dead  man,  or  a  dead 
child ;  and  although  there  must  have  been  about  a  thousand 
people  in  the  world  by  this  time,  according  to  calculations 
fairly  and  justly  made,  yet  there  is  no  evidence  that  a  single 
death  had  occui-red,  or  that  Cain  had  witnessed  dying  by 
violence  or  old  age,  infirmity  or  decay.  It  is  not,  therefore, 
probable  that  Cain  deliberately  and  designedly  took  away 
the  life  of  Abel,  or  even  set  out  with  him  for  this  end.  And, 
in  the  next  place,  the  language  of  the  passage  seems  to  con- 
vey that  there  had  occurred  criminal  anger  and  bitter  quar-^ 
rolling  between  them.  I  am  not  extenuating  or  justifying 
the  crime  of  Cain,  —  far  from  it.  I  am  simply  asserting 
what  were  the  facts,  and  what  is  the  aspect  of  his  crime.  It 
seems  that  "  they  talked  together  in  the  field."  In  other 
words,  there  was  hostile  and  recriminating  conversation  be- 
tween them.  Abel  may  have  been  most  meek  in  his  remarks, 
and  yet  not  blameless ;  but  Cain,  no  doubt,  must  have  been 
most  violent  in  his  language.  When  two  persons  dispute  the 
quarrel,  the  one  who  loses  his  temper  most  gives  evidence  of 
his  being  most  in  the  wronsf.  And,  as  Cain  was  utterly  in 
the  wrong,  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  language  was  alike  the 
most  violent  and  provocative  to  evil.  It  was  in  the  excite- 
ment of  such  recriminating  conversation  that  Cain  rose  up 
and  slew  his  brother  Abel.  Now,  I  think  this  would  be  con- 
strued by  modern  judges  and  juries  to  be  manslaughter,  and 
not  murder ;  and  so  far,  therefore,  our  estimate  of  the  crime 
of  Cain  is  modified.  Still  he  slew  his  brother  because  his 
brother's  deeds  were  holy,  and  his  own  the  oj^posite. 

If  we  admit  there  was  not  deliberate  and  premeditated 
murder,  there  was  the  awful  and  greatly  guilty  crime  of 
homicide,  which  is,  perhaps,  murder  in  its  least  terrible  phasis. 

When  God  asked  the  question,  "Where  is  Abel,  thy 
brother  ? "  —  a  clause  on  which  I  addressed  you  some  several 


'  GENESIS   IV.  47 

months  back  —  Cain  added  lying  to  the  first  crime.  This  is 
a  matter  of  course :  whoever  commits  one  crime  needs  to 
perpetrate  another  to  conceal  it,  and  anothei^to  conceal  that, 
sin  always  bringing  forth  an  inexhaustible  progeny.  He 
lied,  and  said  he  did  not  know ;  and  not  only  lied,  but  broke 
forth  into  an  expression  which  indicated  how  utterly  brotherly 
love  had  been  quenched  on  the  altar  of  his  heart  —  *'  Am  I 
my  brother's  keeper  ? "  —  that  is,  "  What  is  he  to  me  ?  What 
do  I  care  if  he  should  die  ?  What  do  I  care  what  becomes 
of  him  ? "  And  yet  it  is  the  language  of  many  a  man  still. 
What  do  I  care  if  the  Hindoos  go  to  destruction  ?  TVTiat  do 
I  care  if  my  next-door  neighbor  starve,  without  a  fire  and 
without  a  coat  ?  Every  man  is  responsible  for  his  brother's 
condition,  and  so  long  as  we  have  sixpence  to  spare,  and  our 
brother  needs  a  penny,  so  long  we  are  responsible  for  that 
brother  not  wanting  the  penny  that  he  stands  truly  in  need  of. 

We  read,  then,  that  God  pronounced  upon  Cain  a  very 
severe  sentence.  The  earth  was  to  be  doubly  cursed  to  him ; 
it  should  not  yield  to  him  of  its  abundance,  but  he  should 
wander  and  be  a  vagabond  in  the  earth.  Cain's  reply  was, 
"  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can  bear."  Perhaps  that 
may  be  justly  translated,  "  My  sin  is  greater  than  can  be 
forgiven  ; "  for  the  word  translated  "  sin  "  sometimes  means 
"  punishment,"  sometimes  "  a  sin  offering,"  and  often  simply 
"  sin." 

But,  before  I  allude  to  this,  I  must  refer  to  that  passage 
where  God  says  to  Cain,  "  If  thou  doest  well,  shalt  thou  not 
be  accepted  ?  and  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth  at  the  door. 
And  unto  thee  shall  be  his  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over 
him."  There  seems,  at  first  sight,  a  sort  of  break  or  inter- 
ruption in  the  order  of  sentiment  contained  in  that  verse ;  but 
if  you  will  just  put  the  words,  "  And  if  thou  doest  not  well, 
sin  lieth  at  the  door,"  in  a  parenthesis  —  and  they  really 
ought  to  be  so  placed  —  you  will  see  that  the  verse  reads 


48  SCRIPTURE  READINGS. 

perfectly  correctly :  "  If  thou  doest  well,"  that  is,  if  thou 
observest  all  my  commandments,  "  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted  ? 
And  unto  thee,"  by  the  law  of  primogeniture,  "  shall  be 
Abel's  desire,  and  thou  shalt  rule  over  him  ;  "  that  is,  if  thou 
doest  well,  the  relationship  between  Abel  and  thee  shall  be 
as  it  was  meant  from  the  beginning.  But,  then,  "  if  thou 
doest  not  well,"  which  we  must  either  take  out  of  the  bosom 
of  the  text,  or  else  place  in  a  parenthesis, —  "  if  thou  doest 
not  well,"  the  opposite  of  this  will  occur  ;  thou  wilt  lose  the 
obedience  of  thy  brother,  and  "  sin  lieth  at  the  door."  Now 
there  are  two  interpretations  of  that.  One  is,  sin  lieth  at 
the  door  like  a  wild  beast,  ready  to  destroy ;  or,  if  you  sup- 
pose the  Greek  word  Icuu^uu,  which  is  the  translation  of  the 
corresponding  Hebrew  word,  as  used  in  Leviticus,  it  would 
mean,  that  "  a  sin  offering  lieth  at  the  door ;  "  that  is,  the 
lamb,  the  type  of  the  true  sacrifice,  which  you  may  use,  and 
worship  me  in  the  mode  in  which  Abel  has  worshipped  me, 
and  meet  like  him  with  true  and  enduring  acceptance.  Thus 
far  it  is  explicable ;  and  if  you  will  put  the  words  I  have 
referred  to  in  a  parenthesis  in  your  Bible,  the  meaning  of  the 
passage  will  be  obvious  to  you. 

Then  Cain  said,  "  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can 
bear,"  or,  my  sin  is  greater  than  can  be  forgiven.  "  Thou  hast 
driven  me  out  this  day  from  the  face  of  the  earth ;  and  from 
thy  face  shall  I  be  hid ;  and  I  shall  be  a  fugitive  and  a  \;ag- 
abond  in  the  earth  ;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  one 
that  findeth  me  shall  slay  me."  The  homicide,  or  rather 
fratricide,  was  thus  conscious  of  his  guilt,  and  aware  that  the 
just  punishment  of  that  guilt  was,  that  he  should  be  slain 
himself.  But  God  resolved  that  it  should  not  be  so.  Not 
that  God  pronounced  that  his  guilt  did  not  deserve  such  a 
righteous  and  just  retribution,  but  that  he  had  other  objects 
and  purpo.seii  in  view  with  him.  The  answer  to  Cain  there- 
fore was,  "  Whosoever  slaycth  Cain,  vengeance  shall  be  taken 


GENESIS   IV.  49 

on  him  seven-fold.  And  the  Lord  set  a  mark  upon  Cain,  lest 
any  finding  him  should  kill  him."  That  may  not  mean,  per- 
haps, that  there  was  struck  a  visible  brand  of  any  sort,  but 
merely  that  God  took  special  notice  of  him,  and  that  none 
should  be  suffered  to  kill  him. 

"  Cain,"  therefore,  "  went  out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  dwelt  in  the  land  of  Nod,  on  the  east  of  Eden."  And 
then  we  read  of  his  building  a  city,  and  calling  the  name  of 
the  city  after  the  name  of  his  son  Enoch.  How  strange  it  is 
that  civilization  began  with  Cain!  Civilization  is  a  word 
that  comes  from  civis^  a  citizen,  and  civis  is  a  citizen  because 
he  dwells  in  a  city.  Now,  Cain  was  the  very  first  builder  of 
cities ;  and  it  needs  but  a  very  partial  acquaintance  with  the 
cities  of  the  world  to  know  how  many  of  the  footprints  of 
Cain  are  on  them,  and  how  much,  as  in  Paris  this  day,  they 
are  characterized  by  the  spirit  of  Cain.  I  would  not  go  so 
far  as  the  poet,  and  say  that 

"God  made  the  country,  but  man  made  the  town;" 

for  wherever  there  is  a  corrupt  heart,  there  corrupt  things 
will  be  done ;  but  it  is  certain  that  where  numbers  of  people 
are  crowded  together  in  a  city,  there  crimes  seem  to  reach 
their  intensest  form,  and  human  nature  to  degenerate  and  to 
be  degraded  the  most. 

Lamech,  a  son  of  Cain,  takes  to  himself  two  wives.  How 
early  we  see,  step  by  step,  corruption  creep  in !  The  primitive 
law  was.  Eve  was  made  for  Adam  —  one  wife  for  one  man ; 
and  we  know,  from  existing  statistics,  that  the  male  and  female 
population  are  pretty  nearly  equal.  There  is,  I  know,  from 
various  causes,  a  slight  excess  in  the  female  population,  yet 
the  general  law  of  the  structure  of  society  is,  that  polygamy 
should  not  be.  It  is  scripturally  wrong.  It  is  physically 
and  statistically  so.  But  here  we  find  Lamech,  the  son  of 
Cain,  breaking  the  primitive  law,  and  taking  to  himself  two 


50  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

wives.  And  this  is  recorded,  not  as  bearing  the  approval  of 
God,  but  as  an  historical  fact,  indicating  the  commencement 
of  a  practice  which  was  not  in  the  beginning. 

We  read  that  "Lamech  said  unto  his  wives,  Adah  and 
Zillah,  Hear  my  voice,  ye  wives  of  Lamech,  hearken  unto  my 
speech :  for  I  have  slain  a  man  to  my  wounding,  and  a  young 
man  to  my  hurt.  If  Cain  shall  be  avenged  seven-fold,  truly 
Lamech  seventy  and  seven-fold."  The  explanation  of  this 
seems  to  be,  that  Lamech,  in  self-defence,  had  slain  some 
aggressor ;  and  then  he  said,  not  conscious  of  the  full  extent 
of  the  sin,  or  crime,  or  guilt,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  that  he 
had  committed,  "  I  have  slain  a  man  to  my  wounding  ;  "  that 
is,  "  I  have  slain  him  in  conflict,  and  am  wounded.  Well,  if 
on  anybody  slaying  Cain  he  shall  be  avenged  seven-fold, 
surely,  if  anybody  slay  me,  I  shall  be  avenged  seventy  and 
seven-fold ;  for,  if  Cain  was  spared  when  he  slew  his  brother, 
not  in  self-defence,  but  out  of  passion,  surely  much  more 
shall  I  be  spared,  for  I  have  killed  a  man  in  self-defence." 

We  next  read  of  some  of  the  descendants  of  Cain,  one  of 
whom  was  "an  instructor  of  every  artificer  in  brass  and 
iron."  We  read  in  heathen  legends  of  Vulcan,  the  god  of 
iron,  whose  name  is  evidently  a  derivation  of  Tubal-Cain. 
Since  we  read  of  artificers  "  in  brass  and  iron,"  there  must 
have  been  fires  to  smelt  the  ores.  It  has  been  a  very  curious 
question  among  nations,  what  was  the  origin  of  fire.  One 
says  it  was  stolen  from  heaven ;  another,  that  it  was  acci- 
dentally discovered.  Here  certainly  it  must  have  been 
discovered  in  order  to  smelt  the  ores. 

Here,  too,  we  see  the  commencement  of  music.  The  first 
architect  was  Cain,  and  the  first  musicians  were  his  descend- 
ants. "  Jubal  was  the  father,"  that  is,  the  founder,  "  of  all 
such  as  handle  the  harp  and  organ." 

Now,  these  short  sketches  of  the  early  history  of  mankind 
are  very  instructive.     They  are  so  simple,  so  plain,  and  they 


GENESIS    IV.  51 

BO  commend  themselves  to  our  hearts  and  feelings,  that  we 
have  only  to  read  them  in  contrast  with  any  of  the  fabulous 
accounts  of  the  heathen,  to  see  what  is  distorted  tradition, 
and  what  is  the  word  and  the  inspiration  of  God. 

What  a  flood  of  light  does  this  book  pour  on  that  very 
part  of  the  history  of  our  race  where  without  it  our  darkness 
would  be  midnight ! 
5 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  GENEALOGY,  AGE,  AND  DEATH  OF  THE  PATRIARCHS,  FROM  ADAM 
TO  NOAH  —  THE  PIETY  AND  TRANSLATION  OF  ENOCH  —  SIGNIFICANT 
NAMES. 

Tnis  chapter  reads  as  if  it  were  a  tombstone ;  it  seems^ 
to  be  almost  a  scries  of  epitajDhs  —  but  epitaphs  briefly  told ; 
the  very  brevity  with  which  they  are  told  more  strikingly 
indicating  the  vanity  of  the  life  of  man.  Almost  all  that  is 
recorded  of  each  of  the  antediluvian  patriarchs  whose  names 
are  given  in  this  catalogue,  is,  that  he  lived,  that  he  had  a 
family,  and  that  he  died.  These  are  the  landmarks  of  the 
biography  of  each  man.  The  varieties  are  incidental ;  these 
are  the  prominent  and  standing  characteristics.  There  is 
something  almost  melancholy,  or,  if  not  melancholy,  at  least 
imj)ressive,  in  this — that,  however  long  each  lived,  death  did 
come.  One  lived  seven  hundred,  another  eight  hundred, 
another  nine  hundred,  another  one  thousand  years ;  but  the 
common  issue  is  appended  to  the  biography  of  all,  and  each, 
whatever  his  dignity,  his  rank,  his  age,  his  wealth,  his  circum- 
stances, his  piety,  or  his  crimes,  "  lived  and  died." 

We  read,  in  the  commencement  of  the  chapter,  that  Adam 
had  a  son  in  his  own  likeness.  "  Adam  lived  an  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  and  begat  a  son  in  his  own  likeness,  after 
his  image ;  and  called  his  name  Seth."  "  In  his  own  like- 
ness," moral  and  physical :  moral,  subject  to  the  sinful  passions 
of  man  ;  and  physical,  subject  to  the  ills  and  aches  of  man- 
kind, and  also  inheriting  that  diseased  moral  condition  which 
Adam  and  Eve  had  introduced  when  they  "  brought  death 


GENESIS    V.  53 

into  the  world  and  all  our  woe."  Each  man's  son  is  more  or 
less  in  his  likeness ;  and  each  generation  has  the  generic 
character  of  all  that  has  preceded  it. 

This  great  age  of  the  patriarchs  is  remarkable.  Some  have 
tried  to  explain  it  away,  and  to  show  that  the  years  were, 
not  solar,  but  lunar  ones ;  in  other  words,  that  they  were 
months,  and  not  years.  But  this  is  untenable ;  and  the  proof 
is  clear  and  conclusive  that  their  ages  were  numbered  by  solar 
years,  and  that  they  lived  to  the  protracted  ages  here  recorded. 
There  may  have  been  reasons  for  this.  The  first  may  have 
been  that  the  earth  had  just  been  brought  into  a  new  condi- 
tion. Although  the  earth  may  have  existed  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  years  before  Adam,  yet  the  earth  was  then 
brought  into  a  new  condition.  Two  at  first  were  placed  on 
it ;  and,  from  the  protracted  age  of  the  patriarchs,  the  births 
being  many  and  the  deaths  being  few,  the  earth  came  in  a 
short  time  to  be  rapidly  populated.  It  has  been  shown,  by 
those  who  are  competent  fpr  the  investigation,  that  the  earth, 
at  the  time  of  the  flood,  had  a  population  not  less  than  that 
which  it  now  has  upon  it.  I  mean,  by  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  long  lives  of  the  patriarchs,  the  number  of  children 
that  were  born  to  them,  and  the  fact  of  a  death  occurring 
only  in  four,  five,  or  six  hundred  years,  the  calculation  has 
been  made,  by  those  who  are  competent  to  do  so,  that  the 
population  of  the  globe,  at  the  time  of  the  flood,  must  have 
been  Very  large  indeed.  There  is  another  reason  why  the 
age  of  the  patriarchs  may  have  been  so  long,  namely,  in  order 
to  preserve  and  perpetuate  God's  truth  whilst  there  was  no 
written  revelation.  They  had  then  no  Bible,  that  is  to  say, 
no  written  documentary  proof  of  God's  great  purpose,  or  of 
the  gospel  preached  to  Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise.  But,  by 
reason  of  the  very  great  age  of  the  patriarchs,  there  was  but 
one  link  between  Adam  and  Noah,  and  that  intermediate  link 
might  tell  Noah  what  he  heard  Adam  say  ;  and  thus  one  alive 


54  SCRIPTURE  READINGS 

at  the  end  of  two  thousand  years  would  be  as  thoroughly, 
from  personal  knowledge  and  intercourse,  acquainted  with  the 
truth  as  we  should  be  now  in  a  life  of  a  very  few  years.  There 
was  a  time,  therefore,  when  only  tradition  did  exist ;  we  do 
not  deny  that  tradition  existed  then  ;  and  we  do  not  object 
to  tradition  now,  except  when  tradition  refuses  to  submit  to 
the  proper  judge,  namely,  the  written  and  inspired  record. 
But  there  was  tradition  then ;  and  only  by  tradition,  except 
in  so  far  as  God  interposed,  could  they  tell  what  the  gospel 
was,  and  what  man's  hopes  and  destinies  also  were ;  and  the 
protracted  age  of  the  patriarchs,  rendering  few  links  necessary 
in  two  thousand  years,  may  have  been  permitted,  partly  that" 
the  truth,  not  yet  written,  for  reasons  into  which  we  need  not 
now  enter,  might  be  transmitted  more  clearly  from  sire  to 
son,  and  that  thus  all  might  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  it. 
But  still,  while  all  these  may  have  been  ends,  I  think  the 
great  reason  existed  in  the  fact  that  the  effects  of  the  fall 
were  not  instantaneous,  but  gradual.  And  when  we  read,  at 
the  time  of  the  flood,  of  God  shortening  man's  life  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years,  we  are  again  taught  that  man's 
age,  even  after  sin  had  smitten  his  frame  with  all  its  sick- 
nesses and  sufferings,  was,  as  we  know,  very  protracted.  And 
this  long  age  of  nine  hundred  years,  or  a  thousand  years, 
was  that  to  which  men  lived  after  sin  was  introduced,  though 
it  was  gradually  shortened  as  sin  seemed  through  and  by 
man  to  gain  the  mastery.  After  the  flood  it  was  shortened 
once  more,  and  this  last  shortening  was  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years.  There  is  no  evidence  from  the  Bible  that  man 
should  not  live,  humanly  speaking,  and  by  the  laws  of  his 
physical  organization,  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty  years. 
Life  is  now  as  a  matter  of  fact  very  much  shorter,  since  we  find 
numbers  dying  at  twenty,  forty,  fifty,  sixty,  seventy.  But 
perhaps  a  great  deal  of  this  may  not  be  God's  law,  but  man's 
fault.  God  has  placed  us  in  a  world  where  certain  conditions  are 


GENESIS    V.  55 

requisite  to  a  healthy  life ;  and  it  will  be  found  that,  where 
those  physical  conditions  are  attended  to,  and,  along  with  those, 
moral  conditions  too,  —  for  nothing  so  wastes  and  wears 
physical  existence  as  sin  in  the  life,  and  the  consciousness  of 
it  in  the  conscience,  —  a  long  life  will  be  the  result.  I  say, 
were  it  not  for  many  things  existing  in  this  world,  arising 
from  a  high  state  of  civilization,  human  life  would  still  be  pro- 
tracted to  a  much  longer  period.  At  least,  the  last  shorten- 
ing did  not  reduce  it  to  seventy.  And,  as  I  told  you  in  a 
former  explanation,  that  complaint  in  the  Psalms,  "  The  days 
of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten  ;  and  if  by  reason 
of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their  strength  labor 
and  sorrow,"  —  this  complaint  was  uttered  by  Moses  in  the 
wilderness,  in  a  state  of  suffering ;  and  by  it  he  says  that, 
instead  of  their  living,  as  it  was  appointed,  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  years  of  age  (for  he  himself  lived  to  that  age), 
their  years  were  reduced  in  this  wilderness  state  to  seventy, 
but  implying  that,  out  of  that  wilderness  state,  they  would  be 
the  usual  number.  Thus  there  was  a  gradual  shortening  of 
human  life  after  the  fall,  until,  after  the  flood,  it  was  reduced 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  years. 

Evidently,  in  those  days  they  must  have  made  great  pro- 
gress in  science.  A  man's  apprenticeship  to  a  business  must 
then  have  been  not  less  than  a  hundred  years ;  and  at  five 
or  six  hundred  years  of  age  he  was  only  reaching  the  matur- 
ity of  his  knowledge,  and  enjoying  the  result  of  his  previous 
investigations.  Everything  in  those  days  must  have  attained 
a  great  state  of  perfection.  What  we  arrive  at  now  in  the 
course  of  several  generations,  —  one  generation  storing  up  its 
discoveries  for  the  next  to  operate  upon,  —  they  arrived  at  in 
individual  biographies,  the  discoveries  of  one  hundred  years 
serving  to  one  person  as  the  means  of  new  inductions  and  dis- 
coveries during  the  next  hundred  years.  But  it  is  equally 
plain  that,  as  there  must  have  been  vast  knowledge,  there 
5=^ 


56 


SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 


must  also  have  been  gigantic  wickedness  and  gigantic  crimes. 
Everything  then  must  have  been  upon  a  gigantic  and  impres- 
sive scale.  And  perhaps  it  was  in  mercy  that  God  shortened 
human  life.  It  is,  perhaps,  in  mercy  to  mankind,  in  kindness 
to  the  individual,  that  human  life,  in  its  present  abnormal  and 
diseased  state,  is  made  so  short  as  it  is,  and  that  the  days  of 
the  years  of  our  life  are  few  and  full  of  evil. 

There  is  also  indicated  here  a  new  genealogy.  It  is  not, 
you  observe,  a  statement  of  Abel's  descendants.  There  is  no 
record  of  them  ;  and  very  remarkable  it  is  that  Cain  is  alto- 
gether omitted  here.  We  step  into  the  records  of  a  new  race^ 
and  that  race  springing  from  Seth  —  the  son  substituted  to 
Eve,  and  called  by  her  Seth,  from  the  word  "  substituted,"  of 
which  it  is  the  Hebrew,  in  consequence  of  God's  having  taken 
Abel.  You  have,  therefore,  here,  not  Abel's  generations,  but 
those  of  Seth  substituted  in  the  room  of  Abel,  whom  Cain 
slew.  And  it  is  this  record  which  constitutes  the  family  from 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  to  spring,  of  the  house  of 
David,  and  of  Abraham's  or  the  woman's  seed. 

We  read  of  one  patriarch  in  this  group  signalized  for  his 
great  piety,  and  for  his  glorious  destiny.  "  Enoch,"  it  is 
said,  "  walked  with  God."  What  a  brief  but  beautiful 
memoir  !  He  "  walked  with  God,  and  he  was  not ;  for  God 
took  him."  Then  he  must  have  been  agreed  with  God ;  for 
how  can  two  walk  together  except  they  be  agreed  ?  He  must 
have  been  of  one  mind  with  Him  ;  he  must  have  lived  under 
a  deep  and  constant  sense  of  responsibility  to  Him,  and  thus 
he  has  been  celebrated  for  his  piety  and  his  consistency.  And 
the  reward,  or  if  not  the  reward,  the  issue  of  it  was,  "  God 
took  him;"  that  is,  he  was  translated  —  he  did  not  taste 
death.  This  is  a  beautiful  exception  amidst  those  who  died. 
If  the  records  of  this  chapter  had  been  without  a  break  in 
"  he  died,"  it  would  have  been  almost  darkness  and  despair. 
But  this  incident,  starting  from  the  darkness  like  a  ray  from 


GENESIS    V.  57 

the  presence  of  God,  illuminates  the  whole,  and  tells  us  that 
there  is  a  pathway  through  or  beside  the  grave,  and  that  life 
has  been  brought  to  light  through  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
Jesus.  It  is  thus  that  the  darkness  of  this  chapter  is 
illuminated  by  one  bright  light,  and  that  bright  light  given  to 
teach  man  that  when  the  aged  die  it  is  not  the  end  of  them, 
—  that  there  is  something  far  beyond.  It  was  in  its  place, 
too,  a  pledge,  and  a  foretoken  of  Him  who,  when  He  had  over- 
come the  sharpness  of  death,  should  open  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  all  believers. 

I  think  I  explained  to  you  before,  indeed  I  am  sure  I  did, 
the  remarkable  fact  —  in  which  there  may  be  substance,  or 
which  perhaps  may  be  fancy  ;  but  I  think  it  is  not  fancy,  but 
fact  —  that  the  names  that  are  given  in  this  chapter,  when 
literally  translated  from  the  Hebrew,  contain  a  prophecy  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  I  told  you  that  every  name  in  this 
chapter  has  a  meaning ;  and  I  think  I  said,  when  preaching 
from  a  text  in  Malachi,  that  all  the  names  convey  a  great 
and  blessed  truth.  Adam  is  the  first  name,  which  means 
"  Man  in  the  image  of  God ; "  Seth,  "  substituted  by ; "  Enos, 
"  frail  man ; "  Cainan,  "  lamenting  ; "  Mahalaleel,  "  the 
blessed  God  ;  "  Jared,  "  shall  come  down  ; "  Enoch,  "  teach- 
ing ; "  Methuselah,  "  his  death  shall  send ; "  Lamech,  "  to  the 
humble  ; "  Noah,  "  rest  "  or  "  consolation."  It  is  thus  that, 
if  you  take  the  whole  of  the  names,  you  have  this  truth  stated 
by  them  :  "  To  man  once  made  in  the  image  of  God,  now  sub- 
stituted by  man  frail  and  full  of  sorrow,  the  blessed  God  him- 
self shall  come  down  to  the  earth  teaching,  and  his  death  shall 
send  to  the  humble  consolation." 

This  is  just  an  epitome  of  Christianity,  a  comment  on 
Isaiah  9  :  6,  and  on  John  3  :  16. 


CHAPTER    YI. 

THE  WICKEDNESS   OF   THE  WORLD   PROVOKES  GOD'S  WRATH,  AND  CAUSES 

THE  FLOOD  —  ^-0AH  FINDS    GRACE THE   ORDER,   FORM  AND   END   OF 

THE  ARK. 

It  appears,  from  the  chapter  I  have  read,  that  the  humatt 
race,  in  the  course  of  fifteen  hundred  years  —  the  period  that 
had  transpired  since  the  creation  of  man  —  had  fallen  into 
that  degree  of  depravity  and  crime,  which  is  briefly  but 
graphically  delineated  in  the  chapter.  "  It  came  to  pass,"  it 
is  said,  "  when  men  began  to  multiply  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and  daughters  were  bom  unto  them,  that  the  sons  of  God  saw 
the  daughters  of  men  that  they  were  fair  ;  and  they  took  them 
wives  of  all  which  they  chose."  You  can  see  that  there  is  a 
contrast  here.  The  one  verse  describes  a  certain  class  under 
the  epithet  "  sons  of  men,"  with  their  daughters  ;  the  other 
verse  describes  another  class,  called  "  the  sons  of  God."  Now, 
it  seems  to  me,  that  the  one  class  were  the  descendants  of  the 
corrupt  and  depraved  Cain,  and  the  other  class  were  the  de- 
scendants of  Seth,  or  those  who  believed  in  and  worshipped 
the  living  and  the  true  God.  It  appears  from  this,  there- 
fore, that  these  sons  of  God,  who  knew  better,  yet,  in  the  fiice 
of  their  own  convictions,  selected  for  wives  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  lineage  of  Cain,  or  wives  morally  depraved, 
and  solely  because  of  their  personal  beauty,  or  outward 
attractions,  —  in  their  place,  proper  enough,  but,  in  this 
instance,  accepted  for,  and  superseding  that  real  because 
moral  beauty,  which  in  the  sight  of  God  is  alone  of  great 
price.     In  other  words,  it  was  the  unsanctificd  and  the  un- 


GENESIS   VI.  59 

Christian,  married  to  the  Christian  and  the  sanctified,  and  the 
result  was  then  what  the  result  ever  has  been,  the  corruption 
and  the  increased  degeneracy  of  both,  and  the  spread  and 
transmission  of  the  influence  of  moral  evil  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  creation  in  which  it  takes  place. 

"  The  Lord  said.  My  spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with 
man,  for  that  he  also  is  flesh  :  yet  his  days  shall  be  an  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years."  This  verse  has  a  parallel  expression 
in  the  book  of  the  prophet  Nehemiah,  where  it  is  said  (9  :  30), 
"  Yet  many  years  didst  thou  forbear  them,  and  testifiedst 
against  them  by  thy  Spirit  in  thy  prophets."  And,  therefore, 
I  conceive  that  when  God  said,  "  My  Spirit  shall  not  always 
strive  with  man,"  he  did  not  mean  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had 
begiui  to  change  the  heart  of  any,  and  had  withdrawn  from 
that  process,  but  that  in  the  prophets,  speaking  through  and 
by  them,  he  had  ceased  to  remonstrate  with  man,  as  it  is  ex- 
plained in  the  passage  from  Nehemiah  which  I  have  now  read, 
"  thy  Spirit  in  thy  prophets."  And  "  yet,"  he  says,  "  his  days 
shall  be  an  hundred  and  twenty  years."  This  has  been 
thought  susceptible  of  two  interpretations.  One  is,  that  the 
hundred  and  twenty  years  here  mean  the  period  that  should 
elapse  from  this  point,  or  when  Noah  should  begin  to  build  the 
ark,  until  the  flood  should  come ;  that  the  hundred  and  twenty 
years  was  the  respite  or  the  day  of  graoe  to  the  antediluvians, 
preparatory  to  that  overwhelming  judgment  which  should 
sweep  them  all  away.  Others,  again,  think  —  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  it  is  fully  as  natural  so  to  think  —  that  this  is  the 
general  declaration  of  what  should  be  the  limit  of  human  life 
in  this  dispensation ;  for,  you  observe,  God  says,  "  He  also  is 
flesh  :  yet  his  days  shall  be  an  hundred  and  twenty  years." 
It  docs  not  say,  "  Yet  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  shall 
elapse  between  this  and  the  moment  when  the  flood  shall 
come,"  but  it  is  spoken  generally :  "  Yet  man's  days  shall  be 
an  hundred   and  twenty  years."     And  if  you  connect  this 


60  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

with  the  fact  that  men  lived  seven  hundred,  eight  hundred, 
nine  hundred,  and  even  a  thousand  years  before,  it  does 
seem  more  natural  to  adopt  the  latter  inter^^retation,  and  to 
understand  that  this  was  the  new  fixing  of  the  length  of 
human  life,  and  that  the  days  of  our  years,  therefore,  as 
divinely  arranged  last,  are  one  hundred  and  twenty.  Occa- 
sionally we  do  meet  with  men  who  reach  that  age,  and  some 
even  exceed  it ;  this  is  evidence  of  the  possibility  of  reaching 
it.  And,  as  I  have  said  before,  there  may  be  defects  in  our 
social,  national,  domestic  habits,  our  excesses  in  eating  and 
drinking,  and  especially  the  frightful  oppression  on  the  brain 
superinduced  by  commercial  anxiety,  that  reduce  it  to  som'e 
fifty,  sixty,  or  seventy  years ;  but  I  see  no  scripture  ground 
for  concluding  that  man's  life  is  to  be  less  than  one  hundi-ed 
and  twenty  years  long ;  for  at  that  age  it  seems  to  have  been 
last  fixed.  And  I  may  add,  that  Moses,  the  very  writer  of 
this  book,  lived  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  —  the  author 
of  the  book  thus  illustrating  the  sentiment  of  the  book. 

It  is  said,  in  the  fourth  verse,  "  There  were  giants  in  the 
earth  in  those  days."  Some  have  thought  that  that  means 
giants  in  physical  stature ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  that  is 
merely  equivalent  to  the  last  clause  in  the  verse,  "  men  of 
renown,"  and  that  it  denotes  men  of  headstrong  and  impetu- 
ous passions,  giants  in  crime,  depravity  and  rebellion  against 
God,  and  not  physically  of  greater  stature  than  ourselves. 
The  only  thing  that  would  lead  us  to  suppose  that  they  were 
so  is  tradition,  —  as  we  fully  admit,  not  a  very  safe  organ  ; 
but  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  poets  there  is  a  constant  reference 
to  a  period  in  the  world's  history  when  men  were  of  gigantic 
stature.  We  must  conclude  that  there  was  some  reason  for 
this ;  for  tradition  has  generally  foundation  in  a  positive  truth, 
and  not  generally  in  an  absolute  untruth. 

"We  read,  that  on  God  looking  down  on  this  wickedness, 
"  It  repented  him  that  he  had  made  man  on  tlie  earth,  and 


GENESIS  vr.  61 

that  it  gi'ieved  him  at  his  heart."  We  must  take  this  state- 
ment in  connection  with  another  passage,  "  God  is  not  a  man, 
that  he  should  rq:)ent."  In  one  passage  it  is  said,  God  can- 
not repent ;  in  this  passage  it  is  said  that  God  did  repent. 
We  must,  therefore,  clearly  understand  that  this  is  God  speak- 
ing in  the  language,  and  placing  himself  within  the  range  of 
the  feelings,  of  man.  It  is  just  a  foreshadow  of  that  great 
event  —  the  Incarnation  —  God  speaking  in  the  language, 
and  in  consonance  to  the  natural  feelings,  of  mankind.  And, 
therefore,  wherever  it  is  said,  God  repented,  you  are  to  under- 
stand by  it,  not  that  he  changed  his  mind,  but  that  he  changed 
the  mode  of  carrying  out  his  mind ;  not  that  he  himself 
changed,  for  it  is  said  that  he  changeth  not,  but  that  he 
changed  what  seems  to  be  to  us  the  natural  sequence  of  what 
he  had  previously  done,  and  adopted  what  seems  to  us  a  dif- 
ferent course  from  what,  in  other  circumstances,  we  naturally 
suppose  he  would  have  adopted.  It  is,  therefore,  a  change 
of  mode,  and  not  a  change  of  mind ;  and  yet  God,  as  the 
great  archetypal  Father  of  the  universe,  merely  condescends 
here  to  express  himself  in  language  that  will  come  home  to 
every  one  in  similar  circumstances  —  "  It  grieved  him  at  his 
heart,  it  repented  him  that  he  had  made  man." 

God  says,  "  I  will  destroy  man  whom  I  have  created  from 
the  fiice  of  the  earth ;  both  man,  and  beast,  and  the  creeping 
thing,  and  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  for  it  repenteth  me  that  I 
have  made  them.."  Now,  here  again  you  have  a  proof  that 
the  brute  creation  suffers  from  the  sin  of  man.  Who  was  it 
that  had  become  corrupt?  Not  the  animals,  for  they  remained 
as  God  made  them  ;  they  are  irresponsible  ;  but  it  was  man 
who  had  become  corrupt.  Does  it  not,  then,  seem  unfair  and 
unjust  to  punish  the  brute  creation,  because  man,  the  king  of 
creation,  sins  ?  And,  yet,  it  is  remarkable  that  throughout 
the  whole  Bible  we  find  the  same  principle  carried  out.  We 
read  that  "  Joshua,  and  all  Israel  with  him,  took  Achan,  the 


62  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

son  of  Zerah,  and  the  silver,  and  the  garment,  and  the  wedge 
of  gold,  and  his  sons,  and  his  daughters,  and  his  oxen,  and 
his  asses,  and  his  sheep,  and  his  tent,  and  all  that  he  had ; 
and  they  brought  them  unto  the  valley  of  Achor,"  and  stoned 
them  with  stones.  Here  is  a  sin  committed  by  one,  and  all 
connected  with  him  are  made  to  suffer.  And,  if  we  find 
throughout,  from  the  very  beginning,  that  wherever  man  sins, 
there  creation  suffers,  may  we  not  very  fairly  infer  that  when 
man  shall  be  reinstated  all  creation  shall  be  reinstated  too  ? 
We  see  so  continually  the  brute  and  the  irresponsible  creation 
suffering  from  the  sin  of  man,  that  we  may  very  justly  infer, 
I  think,  and  we  are  borne  out  by  express  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, that  the  whole  creation  will  be  recovered  with  man ; 
and  that,  therefore,  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox,  and 
the  child  shall  play  on  the  cockatrice's  den ;  and  all  nature, 
delivered  from  its  groans  and  its  travails,  be  reinstated  in  its 
first  estate. 

We  find  one  great  exception  to  the  universal  corruption 
here,  —  Noah,  who  "found  grace  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord." 
He  "  found  grace,"  And  there  is  immensely  more  meant  in 
this  than  meets  the  eye.  He  "  found  grace."  It  does  not 
mean,  therefore,  that  Noah  was  a  sort  of  second  Adam,  one 
who  had  not  shared  in  the  universal  conniption  ;  but  that  he 
had  triumphed  over  it,  and  triumphed  over  it  on  new  grounds. 
He  obtained  from  God  that  grace  which  Adam  had  not  at  the 
first,  for  Adam  had  only  creation  grace ;  but,  in  virtue  of  grace 
in  Christ,  Noah  stood  and  walked  with  God. 

I  may  notice  that  the  eighth  verse  of  this  chapter  termi- 
nates the  first  Hebrew  division  of  the  Bible,  or  parasha.  Tlic 
Jewish  Bible  is  divided  into  fifty-two  sections,  or  parashas, 
as  they  called  them.  One  parasha  was  read  each  Sabbath. 
And  this  being  the  first  parasha,  or  the  first  division,  the  first 
five,  and  a  portion  of  the  sixth  chapter,  down  to  the  eighth 
verse,  were  read  on  one  Sabbath,  which  shows  that  the  Jews 


GENESIS   VI.  63 

publicly  read  a  very  large  portion  of  God's  holy  word.  The 
new,  or  second  section,  therefore,  begins  at  the  ninth  verse, 
which  the  Jews  read  on  the  ensuing  Sabbath. 

God  then  instructs  Noah  what  he  was  to  do.  Xoah  by 
grace  was  saved,  and  "  by  faith,"  says  the  apostle,  "  he 
became  heir  of  the  righteousness  which  is  by  faith."  He  was 
just  and  justified  through  the  righteousness  of  Christ  alone. 
He  is  told  to  build  an  ark.  The  word  used  for  the  ark  of 
the  deluge  is  Tebah,  a  diiferent  word  from  that  used  for  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  which  is  Aron,  though  both  words  are 
called  by  our  translators  by  the  same  term,  "  ark  ; "  and  it 
happens  that,  in  the  Septuagint  version,  the  word  "  ark  "  is 
used  indiscriminately  in  both  these  places ;  but  in  the  Hebrew, 
as  I  have  said,  they  are  called  by  different  names. 

It  will  be  e\ident  to  any  one  looking  at  the  dimensions  of 
the  ark,  that  it  was  not  made  to  withstand  storms,  or  to  brave 
the  winds  like  the  modern  ship.  I  should  think  it  had  nearly 
a  flat  bottom,  the  roof  being  sloping ;  for  it  says,  "Make  thee 
an  ark  of  gopher  wood ;  rooms  shalt  thou  make  in  the  ark, 
and  shalt  pitch  it  within  and  without  with  pitch.  And  this 
is  the  fashion  which  thou  shalt  make  it  of :  the  length  of  the 
ark  shall  be  three  hundred  cubits,  the  breadth  of  it  fifty 
cubits,  and  the  height  of  it  thirty  cubits.  A  window  shalt 
thou  make  to  the  ark,  and  in  a  cubit  shalt  thou  finish  it 
above ;  and  the  door  of  the  ark  shalt  thou  set  in  the  side 
thereof ;  with  lower,  second,  and  third  stories  shalt  thou  make 
it."  It  is  evident,  from  the  whole  structure  of  the  ark,  as  far 
as  we  can  gather  it,  that  it  was  very  much  like  a  square  box. 
but  the  roof  sloped  a  little.  From  the  minute  descriptions 
that  are  given  afterwards,  namely,  its  being  a  cubit  towards 
the  roof,  it  would  appear  that  what  I  believe  architects  call 
the  king  post  must  have  been  a  cubit  in  height,  and  that  from 
it  the  sides  sloped  very  slightly,  but  all  that  was  necessary. 
It  was  not  made  to  buffet  the  waves,  or  to  struggle  with  the 
6 


64  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

wind,  but  simpl}''  to  float  upon  the  waters ;  and  when  the 
waters  subsided,  then  the  flatness  of  its  bottom  would  be  its 
adtantage,  since  it  would  settle  upon  Ararat  without  tilting 
over.  The  size  of  the  ark,  as  far  as  we  can  gather  from  the 
dimensions  here  given,  and  as  it  has  been  calculated,  must 
have  been  about  five  hundred  and  forty-seven  feet  long,  nine- 
ty-one feet  broad,  and  fifty-four  feet  high  ;  and,  according  to 
the  calculation  of  those  who  understand  the  matter,  it  must 
have  had  a  tonnage  of  about  eighty-one  thousand ;  in  other 
words,  it  must  have  been  equal  to  twenty  of  the  largest  one 
hundred  and  twenty  gun  ships.  This  being  so,  it  must  have 
been  large  enough  for  all  the  materials  it  was  requisite  for  it 
to  bear.  It  is  said  that  he  was  to  make  it  of  cypress  wood. 
It  has  been  foimd  that  cypress  wood  in  those  countries  —  I 
do  not  know  whether  it  has  ever  been  tried  here  —  is  the 
least  liable  to  be  worm-eaten,  or  to  corrupt  and  rot  by  the 
action  of  the  wind  and  weather ;  and  it  therefore  follows 
that  cypress  wood  was  the  most  proper  to  be  employed.  And 
then  it  is  said,  "  With  lower,  second,  and  third  stories  shalt 
thou  make  it ; "  or  in  literal  words  "  nest ; "  or  in  more  mod- 
ern phraseology,  "  cabins."  And  it  is  said,  "  Pitch  it  within 
and  without  with  pitch."  The  word  "  pitch  "  is  in  Hebrew 
what  is  evidently  the  origin  of  our  word  "  cover."  And  that 
very  same  word,  which  we  render  "  cover,"  is  constantly  em- 
ployed in  the  Bible  with  reference  to  sins  :  "  Thou  hast  cov- 
ered all  their  sins;  "  that  is,  thou  hast  forgiven  them.  And, 
therefore,  there  may  be  some  connection  between  these  two 
circumstances. 

The  question  has  been  asked,  IIow  could  they  have  a  win- 
dow, when  they  had  not  glass  ?  We  know  that  transparent 
substances  were  known  before  the  discovery  of  glass ;  but  the 
Jewish  Rabbins  say  that  the  window  of  the  ark  was  made 
of  a  vast  transparent  precious  stone.     This  is  not  scripture  ; 


GENESIS    VI.  65 

it  is  only  tradition,  and  therefore  it  must  be  received  for 
exactly  what  it  is  worth. 

The  first  idea  that  occurs  to  one,  as  we  read  the  account 
of  God's  treatment  of  the  animals,  is,  that  it  looks  like  par- 
tiality ;  for  it  is  quite  evident  that  no  fish  came  into  the  ark — 
for  what  would  be  destruction  to  the  rest  of  the  brute  creation 
would  be  life  to  them ;  but  very  probably  fishes  may  have 
suffered  in  some  other  way.  There  may  have  been  a  slight 
alteration  in  the  earth's  axis ;  or  some  of  its  inner  contents 
exploding  may  have  destroyed  fishes ;  for  one  knows  that 
when  great  forces  are  exploded  in  the  sea,  as  I  myself  saw 
parts  of  the  Royal  George  exploded  near  the  Isle  of  Wight 
by  gunpowder,  fishes  are  destroyed.  And  we  may  therefore 
conceive,  though  there  is  no  record  of  it,  that  fishes  were 
destroyed  by  some  shock  that  convulsed  the  earth  ;  and  thus 
there  would  be  impartial  destruction  dealt  to  all. 

It  may  be  asked.  How  could  Noah  entice  the  creatures  to 
come  into  the  ark  ?  The  answer  is,  that  the  same  God  who 
brought  them  to  Adam  to  give  them  names,  could  make  them 
come  to  Noah  for  this  purpose.  It  may  be  asked.  How  could 
Noah  keep  such  a  menagerie  in  order  ?  The  same  power  that 
told  him  to  do  all,  enabled  him  to  do  all.  But,  observe,  there 
was  no  excess  of  miraculous  power ;  for  obviously  all  that 
human  means  could  do,  was  done ;  and  then  divine  power 
did  what  human  means  could  not  do. 

But  I  shall  have  another  opportunity  of  looking  at  these 
subjects  more  minutely,  if  spared  to  another  Sabbath. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

NOAH,    HIS    FAMILY,   AND    THE    LIVING  CKEATUBES,    ENTER  THE  ARK  — 
THE   BEGINNING,  INCREASE,  AND   CONTINUANCE   OF   THE   FLOOD. 

We  read  here  of  the  arrival  of  that  era  of  judgment  which 
was  pronounced,  or,  rather,  denounced,  by  God  himself,  in 
the  previous  chapter;  and  upon  the  strong  ground  that  all 
flesh  had  so  corrupted,  irretrievably,  its  way,  that  the  day  of 
mercy  must  close,  the  sun  of  privilege  set,  and  "judgment 
must  be  laid  to  the  line,  and  equity  to  the  plumb-line." 
Jud2;ment  is  God's  strano-e  work,  but  a  work  which  will 
come  as  sure  and  as  soon  as  he  has  said  that  it  will  come. 

First  of  all,  God  issues  his  invitation  to  Noah,  to  come 
himself  and  all  his  house  into  the  ark,  and  upon  this  ground, 
"  For  thee  have  I  seen  righteous ;  "  teaching  us  a  lesson,  that 
is  very  frequently  inculcated  in  Scripture,  that  the  ruler's 
goodness  brings  down  blessing  upon  his  subjects ;  that  the 
parent's  righteousness  is  a  shelter  so  far,  of  a  temporal  kind, 
to  those  who  are  within  his  hom.e.  You  observe,  —  and  it  is 
very  remarkable,  —  that,  upon  the  very  ground  that  Noah 
was  righteous,  his  family  was  admitted  into  the  ark.  It  is 
upon  this  ground  that  we,  or  at  least  such  of  us  as  believe 
that  infants  ought  to  be  baptized,  think  this  sacrament,  thus 
administered,  to  be  justifiable;  not  condemning  adult  bap- 
tism, but  defending  infant  baptism.  Here  is  the  fact,  that 
upon  the  ground  of  the  personal  righteousness  of  Noah  his 
children  were  admitted  into  that  ark ;  and  we  think  that, 
upon  the  ground  of  the  corresponding  righteousness  of  the 


GENESIS    VII.  67 

parent,  the  children  may  be  admitted  into  the  visible  church ; 
and  we  think,  too,  that  such  ground  is  strong,  and  that  it 
justifies  the  practice,  which  we  believe  to  be  a  scriptural  and 
a  right  one. 

And,  in  the  next  place,  we  read  that  he  took  into  the  ark 
clean  and  unclean  beasts.  It  has  been  asked.  How  was  this 
distinction  known  previous  to  the  institutions  of  Levi,  in  the 
Mosaic  economy  ?  Moses  tells  us  what  animals  were  clean, 
and  what  animals  were  unclean,  that  it  might  be  known  that 
the  former  were  to  be  eaten,  and  the  latter  not.  But  how  is 
it  that,  when  no  animals  were  used  for  food,  the  distinction 
is  here  made  of  clean  and  unclean  ?  This  is  one  of  the  cor- 
roborative proofs  of  the  fact  that  I  stated  before,  —  that 
animal  sacrifice  was  instituted  in  Paradise.  I  have  said  that 
the  probability  was  that  Adam  and  Eve  were  clothed  in  the 
skins  of  animals  slain  in  sacrifice.  And  here  it  would  ap- 
pear that  those  animals  were  clean  and  unclean,  not  for  food, 
but  as  fit  and  unfit  for  sacrifice.  The  distinction  here  is, 
animals  which  were  fit  for  sacrifice,  and  animals  which  were 
unfit  for  sacrifice.  This  distinction  in  the  Mosaic  economy, 
or  the  last  more  radical  one,  is,  animals  fit  for  food,  and 
animals  unfit  for  food. 

You  may  notice  another  indication  of  deeper  thought  un- 
derlying the  passage,  namely,  that  the  animals  which  went 
into  the  ark  were  taken  by  sevens  of  every  clean  beast,  but 
by  twos  of  every  unclean  beast.  How  is  it,  now,  that  he 
took  of  the  clean  by  sevens,  that  is,  three  pairs  and  one  over, 
and  that  he  took  of  the  unclean  simply  by  pairs?  The 
answer,  or,  at  least,  the  inference,  must  be,  that  the  seventh 
clean  animal  was  for  Noah  to  ofier  up  in  the  ark,  in  his  daily 
sacrifice  to  God,  in  whom  he  believed,  and  through  whom  he 
looked  for  happiness  and  peace.  I  say,  there  is  nothing  in 
the  narrative  to  show  that  the  odd  one  was  not  for  sacrifice ; 
and  it  seems  the  more  probable,  when  we  remember  that  Abel 
6^ 


68  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

worshipped  by  expiatory,  or  animal  sacrifice,  and  that  Adam 
did  so  the  moment  that  sin  was  introduced. 

The  flood,  we  are  told,  was  to  be  forty  days  on  the  earth. 
"  For  yet  seven  days,  and  I  will  cause  it  to  rain  upon  the 
earth  forty  daj^s  and  forty  nights."  It  is  singular  that  this 
number  occurs  so  often  in  sacred  history.  The  Ninevites  had 
forty  days'  respite;  Moses  and  Elijah  fasted  forty  days ;  Jesus 
was  forty  days  in  the  wilderness ;  —  as  if  there  were  some 
hidden  meaning,  or  some  reason  for  it,  which  we  cannot 
penetrate. 

Noah  entered  into  the  ark,  and  his  wife,  and  his  sons,  and 
their  wives,  and  the  animals,  and  the  flood  broke  out.  Clod's 
judgment  waited  for  the  shelter  of  his  own,  and  as  soon  as 
they  were  safe  his  judgments  came. 

Noah  found  that  all  the  animals  — the  beasts  of  the  earth 
and  the  birds  of  the  air  —  forthwith  obeyed  him.  They 
recognized  in  him  a  portion  of  the  ancient  sovereignty  with 
which  man  was  first  invested,  and  obeyed  him  as  their  king, 
discrowned  in  Adam,  but  to  be  crowned  again  in  Christ. 

It  is  recorded  that  "  all  the  high  hills,  that  were  under 
the  whole  heaven,  were  covered."  Now,  you  are  aware,  it 
has  been  a  great  dispute,  not  only  amongst  geologists  who 
believe  the  Scriptures,  but  among  the  most  enlightened  Chris- 
tian commentators,  whether  the  deluge  was  universal  or  only 
partial ;  and  many  of  those  who  are  the  most  competent  to 
pronounce  an  opinion,  assert  that  the  deluge  was  not  univer- 
sal, that  there  was  no  necessity  for  its  being  universal,  and 
that  a  partial  deluge,  covering  the  limits  of  the  population 
that  was  then  on  the  earth,  agrees  with  all  that  is  here  stated. 
I  may  mention  that  Dr.  King,  a  minister  of  the  Secession 
body  in  Glasgow ;  Hitchcock,  the  American  divine  and  geol- 
ogist, and  others,  very  eminent  for  their  piety,  as  well  as  for 
their  scientific  knowledge,  all  hold  that  the  deluge  was  not 
universal.     Well,  I  must  say  that  I  would  go  with  them  if  I 


GENESIS    VII.  09 

could ;  but  it  does  seem  to  me  that  the  language  of  Scripture 
is  so  strong,  that  in  holding  this  interpretation  I  should  seem 
to  myself  to  be  making  Scripture  dovetail  v^ith  science ;  and 
I  would  rather  wait  for  more  light  and  more  information 
before  I  adopted  it.  The  argument  of  Dr.  King  on  this 
passage  —  "all  the  high  hills,  that  were  under  the  whole 
heaven,  were  covered  "  —  is,  that  the  "  all,"  there,  is  used  in 
Scripture  often  in  a  limited  sense.  Thus,  "  all  countries 
came  to  Egypt  for  corn."  That  cannot  mean  that  all  the 
countries  of  the  earth  came  when  Joseph  was  raised  to  power, 
but,  some  of  many  countries.  And  so  it  says  that  all  the 
cattle  of  Egypt  died  in  the  plague ;  and  yet  there  is  the 
record  that  some  cattle  still  survived  in  Egypt.  He  thinks, 
therefore,  that  "  all  "  is  used  in  a  restricted  and  limited  sense, 
and  need  not  be  taken  to  be  "  all "  in  a  strict  or  absolute 
sense ;  and  he  thinks  that  this  satisfies  the  scripture  narra- 
tive. But  there  are  certain  considerations  that  seem  to  indi- 
cate the  reverse  of  this.  There  are,  certainly,  difficulties  on 
either  side.  One  I  may  state.  Animals,  we  find,  are  accli- 
mated ;  that  is,  the  animals  belonging  to  Africa  will  not  live 
here ;  animals  living  in  New  Zealand  cannot  be  acclimated 
here.  Every  country  has  its  own  races  and  peculiarities  of 
animals;  so  that  they  all  live  and  die  there,  and  do  not 
migrate  to  difierent  countries,  in  different  latitudes,  and 
possessing  difierent  features.  Objectors  say,  naturally,  When 
all  the  animals  were  collected  and  let  out,  how  did  particular 
animals  find  their  way  from  Ararat  to  the  plains  of  America, 
or  other  distant  parts  ?  We  know,  they  say,  that  your  answer 
is,  It  was  a  miracle ;  but  one  does  not  wish  to  account  for 
anything  by  a  miracle,  if  it  be  possible  to  account  for  it 
otherwise ;  for  a  miracle  is  God's  strange  work,  not  his  every- 
day work.  Another  .difficulty  is  this ;  the  mammiferae  alone 
amount  to  seven  hundred  species,  including  elephants  and 
other  animals  of  vast  size,  and  they  think  it  impossible  that 


70  SCBIPTL'HK    KKAIUNCS. 

two  of  each  could  have  been  contained  in  an  ark  even  of  so 
vast  dimensions  as  those  of  which  we  have  shown  the  ark  of 
Noah  to  have  been ;  and  therefore  they  say,  that  only  a  cer- 
tain number  of  animals,  covering  a  limited  geographical  sec- 
tion of  the  earth,  were  collected;  and  that,  consequently,  the 
flood  only  covered  a  certain  portion  of  the  habitable  globe. 
But  we  also  ask.  Why  did  Noah  take  birds  into  the  ark  at 
all  ?  They  could  easily  have  stretched  their  wings,  and 
found  a  resting-place  on  the  parts  of  the  earth  uncovered 
with  water.  Or,  why  take  in  such  birds  as  the  raven  and 
the  dove,  which  are  found  in  every  country,  and  need  not, 
consequently,  have  been  thus  specially  preserved  if  the  flood' 
were  not  universal  ?  And,  therefore,  there  would  seem  to  be 
indications,  from  some  of  the  birds  taken  into  the  ark,  that 
the  deluge  was  universal,  and  that  these  birds  would  have 
become  extinct  unless  they  had  been  preserved  in  the  ark. 
The  language,  too,  is  very  strong :  —  "  All  the  high  hills,  that 
were  under  the  whole  heaven,  were  covered."  And,  besides, 
Ararat,  which  is  some  sixteen  thousand  or  seventeen  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  was  evidently  covered,  because 
the  ark  rested  from  the  subsiding  sea  upon  its  summit.  And 
if  it  rose  to  the  height  of  seventeen  thousand  feet,  it  is  not 
very  much  to  believe  that  it  covered  the  snowy  mountains  of 
India,  which  are  twenty-eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  At  any  rate,  there  is  evidence  that  it  covered 
one  of  the  highest  mountains ;  and  the  natural  inference  is 
that  it  covered  the  rest  of  the  mountains  of  the  earth.  And, 
therefore,  if  there  be  reasons  for  thinking  that  it  was  not 
universal,  we  are  not  without  reasons  for  believing  that  it 
was  universal.  And  the  strong  language  of  Peter,  when  he 
Eays,  "  The  world  that  then  was,  being  overflowed  with  water, 
perished  ; "  and  his  comparing  with  that  perishing  the  process 
to  which  it  shall  be  subjected,  when  it  shall  be  dissolved  by 
fire,  —  would  lead  any  person,  who  is  not  biased  by  geologi- 


GENESIS    VII.  71 

cal  discoveries  and  physical  difficulties,  to  say  that  the  plain 
meaning  of  the  history  of  the  deluge  is  that  it  was  universal. 
The  existing  change  in  climate,  and  change  in  a  thousand 
things,  that  then  took  place  all  over  the  earth,  indicate  that 
the  deluge  made  some  vast  alteration  in  the  physical  condi- 
tion of  our  globe,  in  the  air  which  we  breathe,  and  the  exte- 
rior geography  of  the  earth.  This  seems  to  be  the  opinion 
that  many  have  formed,  who  have  looked  deeply  into  the 
subject.  At  the  same  time,  I  think  it  is  quite  right  to  admit 
that  all  those  references  to  it  that  you  have  seen  in  books, 
affecting  to  prove  that  the  deluge  was  here  and  there,  by  the 
appearance  of  certain  debris,  or  detritus,  or  drift,  as  it  is 
called,  have  all  turned  out,  on  maturer  information,  not  to  be 
correct.  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  a  single  physical  trace 
on  the  surface  of  the  globe  to  show  that  the  deluge  has  been. 
There  is  nothing  to  disprove  it,  or  to  show  its  impossibility ; 
but  there  is  nothing  on  the  face  of  the  globe  to  prove  it. 
The  drift,  as  it  is  called,  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  seems 
to  be  connected  with  great  prior  epochs ;  it  does  not  seem  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  flood  of  Noah.  But  because 
there  are  no  physical  traces  upon  the  earth  of  the  flood,  it 
does  not  therefore  disprove  it.  "We  have  the  simple  history 
that  it  was.  And,  unless  this  flood  really  burst  the  earth 
into  fragments,  of  which  we  have  no  evidence,  I  do  not  see 
that  it  could  have  left  any  traces.  Let  a  very  great  flood 
come  and  cover  the  earth,  and  for  a  year  or  two  you  will  see 
the  mud  and  the  deposit ;  but  in  a  few  years  it  will  all  have 
dried  up  and  be  covered  with  verdure,  where  the  cataract 
had  previously  rushed  along.  And,  unless  the  flood  was  some 
violent  rending  into  fragments  of  the  earth,  we  have  no  rea- 
son to  expect  that  there  would  be  left  any  great  surface 
manifestations  of  it.  If  there  was  a  gradual  rising  and  sub- 
siding of  the  water  (and  we  can  calculate  that  it  rose  about 
one  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet  per  day,  and  subsided  at  the 


72  SCKIPTURE    HEADINGS. 

rate  of  one  hundred  feet  a  day,  wliicli  would  prove  a  very 
gradual  increase,  and  gradual  subsidence),  then  there  is 
nothing  to  show  that  there  should  be  expected,  still,  any 
physical  traces  of  it.  There  is  plenty  of  collateral  proof  of 
it  to  be  derived  from  the  traditions  of  the  heathen.  There 
is  not  a  heathen  nation,  ancient  or  modern,  that  has  not  some 
account  of  a  deluge.  Every  schoolboy,  acquainted  with  Ovid, 
and  with  the  Greek  and  Latin  poets,  knows  how  many  allu- 
sions there  are  to  the  flood  that  overflowed  the  earth. 

To  a  Christian  who  believes  the  Scriptures,  their  testimony 
is  enough.  One  wants  only  to  adduce  such  facts  in  order  to 
endeavor  to  satisfy  minds  of  a  sceptical  and  doubting  turn."" 
I  only  ask  you  to  read  further,  and  particularly  to  peruse 
what  Hitchcock  has  written  upon  the  subject.  He  believes 
that  the  deluge  was  not  universal.  You  can  read  his  reasons, 
which  are  perfectly  consistent  with  true  piety,  though  not 
satisfactory  to  me ;  and  you  can  come  to  that  conclusion 
which  seems  to  be  best  borne  out  by  fact,  and  fair  interpreta- 
tion of  the  sacred  record. 


CHAPTER    yill. 

THE  WATERS  ASSUAGE  —  THE  ARK  RESTS   ON  ARARAT  —  A   RAVEN  AND 

DOVE    SENT    OUT NOAH,    BEING    COMMANDED,    GOES    FORTH    OF    THK 

ARK,  BUILDS  AN  ALTAR,  AND  OFFERS  SACRIFICE  ;   WHICH  GOD  ACCEPTS, 
AND   PROMISES  TO   CURSE  THE  EARTH  NO   MORE. 

God  promised  of  old  to  his  people,  what  He  performs  still 
in  the  experience  of  his  saints,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  I 
will  never  forsake  thee."  The  fulfilment  of  this  promise  is 
ren-istered  in  these  words,  "  And  God  remembered  Noah  "  — 
the  head  of  that  dynasty  with  which  he  was  associated ;  but 
it  shows  that  God's  regards  are  over  all  his  creatures.  He 
remembered,  also,  "  every  living  thing,"  from  the  eagle 
perched  upon  the  highest  point  inside  the  ark,  down  to  the 
meanest  reptile  that  crept  upon  its  floor.  "  God  remembered 
Noah,  and  every  living  thing." 

We  read  that  He  "  made  a  wind  to  pass  over  the  earth,  and 
the  waters  assuaged."  God  might  have  said,  "  Let  the  waters 
be  instantly  absorbed,"  and  it  would  have  been  done ;  but 
every  one  must  be  struck  with  the  fact,  who  reads  the  Bible, 
that  where  means  are  available,  as  usually  they  have  been 
so,  God  always  employs  the  available  means  to  accomplish 
given  results.  In  other  words,  there  is  no  profusion  or  prod- 
igality of  miraculous  interference  in  the  word  of  God.  If 
you  read  the  miracles  said  to  have  been  achieved  by  the  saints 
of  the  Romish  Church,  it  will  strike  you  that  miracles  seem 
to  be  their  ordinary  element,  their  very  breath,  their  very 
life ;  there  is  profusion,  prodigality,  miraculous  exuberance. 
But  when  you  read  God's  holy  word,  you  must  be  struck 


74  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

with  the  fact,  that  there  never  is  an  interposition  of  Almighty 
Power  suspending  any  one  ordinary  law,  unless  there  be  a 
necessity  absolute  and  complete  for  it. 

Then,  in  the  third  verse,  we  are  told,  "  The  waters  returned 
from  off  the  earth  continually."  It  is  in  the  Hebrew, 
"  They  added  to  return  to  return  ;  "  that  is,  there  was  a  grad- 
ual subsiding.  "  And  after  the  end  of  the  hundred  and  fifty 
day  the  waters  were  abated,  and  the  ark  rested  in  the  seventh 
month,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  month,  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Ararat."  Now  this  mountain  of  Ararat  is  at  least, 
according  to  the  statements  of  the  most  recent  visitors,  sev- 
enteen thousand  feet  in  height ;  that  is  to  say,  rather  more ' 
than  three  times  the  height  of  the  highest  mountain  in  Scot- 
land. Well,  then,  if  the  waters  of  the  flood  rose  to  such  a 
height  that  they  covered  its  summit,  and,  by  subsiding,  enabled 
the  ark  to  rest  quietly  upon  that  summit,  I  cannot  see  how  it 
is  possible  to  escape  the  conclusion,  which  Hitchcock  in  his 
work  on  Geology  denies,  however,  that  the  waters  did  cover 
the  whole  habitable  globe,  round  and  round.  The  assertions 
of  Scripture  are  so  broad  and  so  strong,  that  I  cannot  see 
how  to  escape  their  force.  And,  then,  the  language  is  repeated : 
"  abated  from  off  the  earth,"  — "  the  waters  prevailed  upon 
the  earth."  Now,  let  any  honest,  impartial  reader  of  this 
chapter  say  what  would  be  the  impression  upon  his  mind ; 
and  I  am  sure  it  would  be  that  the  flood  there  described  was 
universal.  And,  as  I  stated  before,  if  the  flood  was  not 
universal,  if  it  was  tropical,  why  did  Noah  take  into  the  ark 
creatures  found  in  every  climate  of  the  earth  ?  For  instance, 
the  raven,  1  believe,  exists  almost  everywhere;  the  dove 
certainly  is  found  in  eastern,  western,  northern,  and  southern 
latitudes.  What  was  the  use  of  preserving  a  bird  that  must 
have  lived  everywhere  ?  And,  when  the  dove  went  out  of  the 
ark,  why  did  she  return  to  it  ?  If  you  let  out  a  dove  between 
this  and  Boulogne,  you  will  find  that  it  will  fly  to  the  nearest 


GENESIS    VIII.  75 

dry  land,  probably  to  its  own  dovecot,  as  carrier-pigeons,  it 
is  well  known,  do.  If  this  flood  had  not  been  universal, 
when  the  dove  was  let  out,  with  its  immense  rapidity  of  wing 
it  would  have  soon  reached  that  part  of  the  globe  that  was 
not  covered  by  the  flood ;  but  she  "  found  no  rest  for  the 
sole  of  her  foot ; "  and  the  presumption,  therefore,  is,  that 
the  whole  face  of  the  earth  was  covered  by  this  deluge. 

Noah,  when  he  rested  upon  the  mountain,—  and  what  com- 
fort must  it  have  been  to  feel  the  solid  ground  beneath  his 
feet,  which  he,  no  doubt,  thought  at  first  was  a  rock ;  but  a 
little  waiting,  which  we  often  need,  convinced  him  that  it  was 
a  rest, —  sent  forth  a  raven,  which,  it  is  said,  "went  forth  to 
and  fro,  until  the  waters  were  dried  up  from  off  the  earth." 
You  ask.  How  do  you  account  for  this  ?  I  answer.  The  ra- 
ven, being  a  bird  which  feeds  upon  flesh  and  carrion,  must 
have  found  plenty  of  food  floating  on  the  waters ;  and  it  could 
have  found  sufficient  rest  on  the  bodies  of  dead  animals ;  for 
any  one  may  have  seen  a  carrion-crow  standing  on  a  dead 
animal  carried  down  a  mountain  stream.  It  is  thus  apparent 
that  the  raven  could  have  found  food,  of  the  coarsest  kind, 
everywhere  and  anywhere ;  and  one  can  easily  understand 
how  a  carnivorous  bird  must  have  found  something  to  feed 
upon,  and  to  rest  upon,  on  the  waters  of  the  deluge.  But 
when  he  sent  forth  the  dove,  which  feeds  upon  seeds  and 
vegetable  matter,  it  was  obliged  to  return.  This  is  perfectly 
literal,  and  shows  at  once  what  was  Noah's  reason  for  sending 
forth  this  dove.  It  "  found  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  its  foot, 
and  returned."  But  the  second  time  it  was  sent  forth,  it 
returned  with  an  olive  leaf,  which  showed  that  the  waters  had 
very  materially  subsided. 

They  had  been  subsiding  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  days 

when  the  ark  rested  on  Ararat.     Now  we  know  that  this 

mountain  is  seventeen  thousand  feet  high,  —  its  crags  being 

covered  with  perpetual  snow ;   but  we  know  that  the  olive 

7 


76  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

grows  in  much  lower  nnd  warmer  climes,  and,  therefore,  the 
evidence  of  the  olive  branch  was,  that  the  water  must  have 
been  within  a  few  feet  or  yards  of  the  ground. 

And  YOU  will  notice,  too,  the  interesting  fact,  that  thej 
waited  always  seven  days.  This  is  an  indirect  indication  of 
the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  still.  It  was  always  upon  the 
Sabbath  that  he  sent  forth  the  experimental  voyager  upon  its 
winjr,  to  ascertain  whether  the  waters  had  subsided.  How 
ancient  is  the  Sabbath  !  It  is  not  a  Jewish  ordinance,  it  is 
an  institution  for  all  humanity ;  it  is  the  resting  day  of  the 
weary,  the  refreshment  day  of  the  spiritually  thirsty  and 
hungry  —  a  blessing  to  all ;  the  extinction  of  which  would 
be  an  irreparable  calamity,  not  to  Christians  only,  for  they 
could  find  a  Sabbath  in  their  hearts,  because  the  God  of  the 
Sabbath  is  there ;  but  it  would  be  an  irreparable  calamity  to 
all  the  rest  of  mankind,  who  would  find  seven  days'  work  ex- 
acted for  six  days'  wages,  or  no  more  than  they  receive  now 
for  their  labor  of  six  days. 

We  read  thsct  the  waters  completely  dried  up,  and  God 
told  Noah,  "  Go  forth  of  the  ark,  thou,  and  thy  wife,  and 
thy  sons,  and  thy  sons'  wives  with  thee.  Bring  forth  with 
thee  every  living  thing  that  is  with  thee,  of  all  flesh,  both  of 
fowl,  and  of  cattle,  and  of  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth;  that  they  may  breed  abundantly  in  the 
earth,  and  be  fruitful,  and  multiply  upon  the  earth," —  all 
which  language  indicates  the  universality  of  the  deluge. 
'*  And  Noah  went  forth,  and  his  sons,  and  his  wife,  and  his 
sons'  wives  with  him  :  every  beast,  every  creeping  thing,  and 
every  fowl,  and  whatsoever  creepeth  upon  the  earth,  after 
their  kinds,  went  forth  out  of  the  ark."  Then  Noah  built  an 
altar,  and  the  Lord  was  pleased  with  his  off'ering,  and  said, 
"I  will  not  again  curse  the  ground  any  more."  It  ought  to 
be,  "  I  will  not  add  to  curse  the  ground,"  which  is  the  strict 
rendering  of  the   Hebrew,  and  moans,  I  will  not  inflict  an 


GENESIS   VIII.  77 

additional  curse  upon  it.  And,  therefore,  we  have  the  earth, 
and  the  air,  and  water  of  the  globe  exactly  the  same  now  as 
they  were  immediately  after  the  deluge.  And,  then,  the  word 
"  for,"  which  occurs  immediately  afterwards,  and  seems  illa- 
tive in  our  translation,  ought  to  be  "  though."  "  And  the 
Lord  smelled  a  sweet  savor;  "  —  that  is  the  use  of  language 
appropriate  to  man,  used  in  reference  to  Deity;  —  "and  the 
Lord  said  in  his  heart,  I  will  not  again  curse  the  ground  any 
more  for  man's  sake  ;  though  the  imagination  of -man's  heart 
is  evil  from  his  youth."  He  saw  that  it  was  so  before  the 
flood ;  he  saw  that  the  heart  was  not  changed  by  the  flood. 
And  this  is  "  the  like  figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth 
also  now  save  us."  The  flood  found  man's  heart  wicked  when 
it  came,  and  left  it  so  when  it  departed  ;  and  so  it  is  with  that 
heart  which  is  brought  to  the  font.  Baptism  with  water  does 
not  change  the  heart :  the  true  baptism  is  that  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  which  gives  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience 
towards  God.  "  Neither  will  I  again  smite  any  more  every- 
thing living,  as  I  have  done ;  "  that  is,  with  a  flood  of  water. 
*'  While  the  earth  remaineth,  seed-time  and  harvest,  and  cold 
and  heat,  and  summer  and  winter,  and  day  and  night,  shall 
not  cease." 

These  last  ordinances  of  summer  and  winter,  and  seed- 
time and  harvest,  still  remain.  The  decree,  that  fixed  them 
four  thousand  years  ago,  still  lasts ;  and  in  their  stated  re- 
currence the  Christian  sees  that  God's  word  is  the  real  law 
of  nature,  and  that  what  philosophers  too  often  quote  as  the 
characteristics  of  matter,  which  must  continue  to  the  end  as 
they  were  in  the  beginning,  are  the  simple  decrees  of  God, 
which  He  may  repeal  or  alter  at  any  moment.  Nature  hangs 
on  the  will  of  God.  The  long  chain  of  causes  and  conse- 
quences which  we  see,  is  fixed  to  a  staple  which  is  fastened 
to  the  throne  of  God.     Let  us  never  so  far  forget  these  truths 


7S  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

as  to  place  creation  in  the  room  of  the  Creator,  or  creation's 
laws  in  the  stead  of  the  word  of  God. 

Let  us  also  feel  truly  thankful,  while  deeply  humbled,  that, 
notwithstanding  man's  depravity  and  unthankfulness,  God 
still  maintains  his  decree,  and  gives  us,  in  his  mercy,  "  seed- 
time and  harvest." 

lie  will  do  so  till  his  dispensation  ends,  and  a  new  and 
better  genesis  passes  over  creation. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

GOD  BLESSES   NOAH ANIMAL  FOOD   ALLOWED  —  PUNISHMENT   OP 

DEATH. 

,Thek,e  is  addressed  to  Noali,  in  this  chapter,  a  very  need- 
ful encouragement  against  the  possible  or  the  feared  rising  of 
the  beasts  of  the  earth  to  destroy  so  small,  and,  in  their  infant 
circumstances,  so  helpless  a  community.  When  Adam  was 
created,  all  the  beasts  of  the  earth  were  brought  to  him,  and 
he  called  them  by  their  names,  and  thus  gave  proof  that  his 
government  over  them  was  plainly  a  government  of  love ;  but 
after  the  fall,  man,  endowed  still  with  some  remains  of  his 
pristine  sovereignty,  had  to  control  and  govern  the  animals  by 
skill  or  by  power,  and  so  defend  himself  from  their  assaults. 
The  beasts  of  the  earth  are  now  under  a  new  feeling  in  refer- 
ence to  man.  Once  they  revered  Adam  because  they  loved 
him ;  now  they  flee  from  Adam,  or,  changing  the  word,  from 
Noah,  because  they  fear  him. 

The  very  fact,  therefore,  that  the  beasts  of  the  field,  even 
the  most  formidable  of  them,  unless  under  the  pinching  feel- 
ings of  intolerable  hunger,  shrink  from  man,  is  just  a  remain- 
ino-  memorial  of  this  covenant  made  with  Noah,  as  real  as  is 
the  rainbow  that  spans  the  sky,  and  silently  promises  there 
shall  not  be  another  flood.  And  it  is  a  very  striking  fact,  that 
man,  whose  phj^sical  strength  is  the  least,  comparatively, 
should  present  so  formidable  an  aspect  to  the  beasts  of  the 
field.  So  much  is  this  felt,  that  it  has  been  said  that  the  lion 
will  shrink  from  that  man  who  has  the  nerve,  physical  and 
moral,  to  look  him  directly  in  the  face,  —  the  eye  not  retreat- 


80  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

ing  or  wincing ;  —  that,  in  short,  the  lion  feels  what  God  im- 
printed at  the  flood,  and  shows  this  by  shrinking  from  man, 
because  the  fear  of  man  and  the  dread  of  man  is  upon  him  by 
the  very  constitution  of  God. 

We  read,  in  the  next  place,  of  the  permission  to  eat  animal 
food.  It  is  not  an  injunction,  it  is  simply  a  permission  to  do 
so  ;  yet  even  here  there  is  an  exception  made,  that  man 
should  not  eat  the  blood  of  the  animals  he  destroys  for  food. 
There  are  various  reasons  for  this.  One  is,  what  God  asserts, 
that  the  blood  is  the  life  of  the  animal ;  and,  I  may  add,  the 
celebrated  John  Hunter  —  the  most  distinguished  physiologist 
of  his  day,  and  whose  discoveries,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  ascer- 
tain from  persons  who  are  better  acquainted  with  the  subject 
than  I  can  pretend  to  be,  are  still  deferred  to  —  says  that  the 
blood  in  the  human  body  is  quite  different  from  any  other 
material  substance  of  or  in  it ;  that  it  is  itself  a  vital  fluid  • 
and,  so  far,  it  would  appear  that  the  discovery  of  science  in 
the  nineteenth  century  is  just  an  illustration  of  the  statement 
of  God  four  thousand  years  before,  that  "  the  blood  is  the 
life."  But  it  may  be  asked.  Why  apply  this  restriction  to  the 
animals,  the  beasts  of  the  earth  ?  Partly  to  prevent  creating 
savage,  cruel,  or,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  sanguinary 
feelings  in  the  human  creature ;  but  no  doubt  it  must  have 
been  forbidden  mainly  because  of  the  particular  use  to  which 
the  blood  was  to  be  turned  under  the  ancient,  but  then  subse- 
quent, Levitical  economy.  In  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
Leviticus,  and  at  the  tenth  verse,  there  is  the  following  law  : — 
"  And  whatsoever  man  there  be  of  the  house  of  Israel,  or  of 
the  strangers  that  sojourn  among  you,  that  cateth  any  manner 
of  blood  ;  I  will  even  set  my  face  against  that  soul  that  eateth 
blood,  and  will  cut  hini  off"  from  among  his  people.  For  the 
life  of  the  flesh  is  in  the  blood."  That  is  one  reason,  and  the 
reason  given  to  Noah.  But  now  here  is  the  special  reason; 
and  recollect  this  institution  was  made  four  hundred  years 


GENESIS   IX. 


81 


after  the  permission  given  to  Noah  —  "  And  I  have  given  it 
to  you  upon  the  altar  to  make  an  atonement  for  your  souls  ; 
for  it  is  the  blood  that  maketh  an  atonement  for  the  soul. 
Therefore  I  said  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  No  soul  of  you 
shall  eat  blood,  neither  shall  any  stranger  that  sojourneth 
among  you  eat  blood."  It  was,  therefore,  partly  on  account 
of  the  physical  fact  to  which  I  have  alluded,  but  mainly, 
I  believe,  because  of  the  sacred  and  expiatory  purposes  to 
which  the  blood  of  the  animals  was  turned,  that  this  injunc- 
tion was  given  to  Noah,  and  continued,  with  fresh  sanctions, 
under  the  Levitical  economy.  And  the  injunction  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  to  "  abstain  from  things  strangled,  and 
from  blood,"  I  hold  to  be  partly  temporary.  As  far  as 
physical  reasons  are  concerned,  it  is  obligatory  from  the  na- 
ture of  things,  but  as  far  as  the  moral  uses  of  the  blood  are 
involved,  that  restriction  is  now  withdrawn.  It  was  given 
under  the  last  remains  of  the  Jewish  economy,  just  to  prevent 
the  Grentile  giving  offence  to  the  Jew ;  and  in  order  that,  as 
far  as  possible,  Christians  should  become  all  things  to  all 
men  in  order  to  save  souls.  But  I  do  not  believe  that  there 
is  any  moral  obligation  resting  upon  us  in  connection  with  it 
now.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  any  absolute  moral  law, 
or  moral  reason,  strictly  preventing  this  practice.  On  phys- 
ical grounds,  and  other  grounds  not  purely  religious,  you  may 
act  upon  this  injunction  or  not,  at  your  own  discretion. 

There  occurs  in  this  chapter  a  very  solemn  injunction  in 
reference  to  man.  Let  us  mark  what  God  said  here.  He 
first  encouraged  man  against  the  possible  violence  of  the  brute 
creation ;  but  man's  experience  of  man  before  the  flood,  when 
violence  governed  the  earth,  and  bloodshed  was  the  stain  of 
every  day,  taught  Noah  that  he  had  not  only  the  beasts  to 
fear,  but,  more  formidable  by  far,  that  he  had  to  fear  his  own 
kin,  —  his  own  race  and  family.  And,  therefore,  God  here 
arms  man  against  the  violence  of  man,  and  shows,  by  attach- 


82  SCRIPTURE    READIxNQS. 

ing  its  dread  penalty,  iu  what  abhorrence  he  held  the  crime 
of  murder.  Now,  I  made  the  remark,  in  expounding  one  of 
the  miracles,  that  what  is  called  capital  punishment  may  justly 
be  inflicted  for  the  crime  of  murder,  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures. I  do  not  see  any  evidence  that  capital  punishment 
should  be  inflicted  for  any  crime  but  that  of  murder  —  basing 
my  views,  not  upon  any  legal  grounds  of  expediency,  but 
simply  upon  Scripture.  I  find  I  was  found  fault  with  be- 
cause I  said  that  this  passage  sanctioned  capital  punishment; 
and  it  was  said  in  the  public  papers  I  refer  to,  that  I  felt 
pleasure  in  advocating  that  opinion.  Such  is  not  the  fact. 
I  would  rather  there  were  neither  capital  punishment  nor 
crime.  I  am  here,  however,  as  the  interpreter  of  God's 
word ;  and  it  is  my  duty,  as  I  trust  it  is  my  delight,  to  ascer- 
tain, as  far  as  God  may  enable  me,  what  is  here,  and  what  is 
right  by  finding  it  here,  and  to  leave  others  to  adjust  the  ex- 
pediency or  inexpediency  of  specific  measures.  Now,  I  can- 
not, as  an  honest  reader  of  this  passage,  come  to  any  other 
conclusion  than  that  the  fifth  and  sixth  verses  of  this  chapter 
do  positively  sanction  the  penalty  of  death,  as  the  just  and 
legitimate  penalty  for  murder.  "  Surely  your  blood  of  your 
lives  will  I  require."  That  is  a  very  remarkable  expression. 
"  The  blood  of  your  lives,"  — as  if  all  lives  constituted  one  vast 
community,  and  as  if  the  man  who  took  the  life  of  a  brother, 
took  away  his  own  —  as  if  murder  was  also  almost  suicide  ; 
the  language  is  strikingly  expressive.  In  other  words,  it 
means  that  man  cannot  injure  a  fellow-man  without  the 
injury  rebounding  and  injuring  himself.  "Your  blood  of 
your  lives  will  I  require;  at  the  hand  of  every  beast  will  I 
rcfjuire  it ;  "  that  is,  that  the  beast  which  destroys  a  man 
shall  be  put  to  death.  It  is  not  the  fear  of  hydrophobia  that 
makes  the  owner  destroy  a  dog  that  has  bitten  a  man,  but 
because  there  is  an  instinctive  feeling  of  humanity,  that  if  an 
animal  kill  a  man,  the  first  duty  is  to  go  out  and  destroy  it. 


GENESIS    IX.  8S 

Whether  this  be  a  traditional  remain,  or  an  instinct  in  the 
human  heart,  I  do  not  decide ;  but  so  it  is.  And  God  here 
says,  that  the  brute,  the  lion,  the  tiger,  the  dog,  the  eagle,  the 
vulture,  that  destroys  a  man  —  that  beast,  that  bird,  ought 
to  be  destroyed  also. 

He  says,  in  the  next  place,  "  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood, 
by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed ;  for  in  the  image  of  God 
made  he  him."  It  was  argued,  in  the  critical  remarks  to 
which  I  have  already  referred,  that  there  is  a  new  and  totally 
different  translation  of  this  passage.  Now,  1  have  been  at 
some  trouble  in  searching  out  if  this  be  the  fact.  I  have  read 
the  Septuagint  Greek  version,  and  I  have  referred  to  the 
original,  and  have  also  perused  a  book  by  Cheever,  an  Amer- 
ican divine,  who  has  written  with  great  talent  upon  this  sub- 
ject ;  and  the  conclusion  "I  have  come  to  is,  that  the  author- 
ized translation  is  the  most  exact,  strict,  and  accurate,  that 
can  possibly  be  given.  If  rendered  literally,  it  would  be  as 
follows :  "  He  shedding  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood 
be  shed."  That,  you  perceive,  is  no  substantial  difference  at 
all,  —  it  is  a  distinction  without  a  difference.  And  the  only 
possible  deviation,  according  to  Michaelis,  the  very  celebrated 
German  commentator  and  critic,  is,  that  it  might  be  rendered, 
not  "  Whoso,"  but  "  Whatsoever  sheddeth  man's  blood." 
And  the  reason  he  gives  is,  that  thus  God  has  comprehended, 
not  simply  man,  but  also  the  brutes  of  the  field,  by  saying, 
*'  Whatsoever  "  —  whether  brutes  or  men  —  comprehending 
the  previous  text  in  these  words  —  "  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  or  its  blood  be  shed." 

But  what  is  meant  by  the  expression  "  require  "  ?  I  an- 
swer, the  idea  is  unquestionably  that  of  punishment.  I  will 
give  you  one  single  illustration  of  it.  In  Genesis  42  :  22,  you 
will  find  these  words :  "  And  Reuben  answered  them,  saying, 
Spake  I  not  unto  you,  saying.  Do  not  sin  against  the  child  " 
—  that  is,  speaking  of  Joseph  —  "  and  ye  would  not  hear  ? 


84  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Therefore,  behold,  also,  his  blood  is  required ; "  that  is,  we 
shall  be  punished  for  having  murdered  him ;  and  understand- 
ing evidently,  by  that  punishment,  being  put  to  death.  And 
next  I  called  your  attention  to  another  passage  —  Deuteron- 
omy 18  :  19  —  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  whosoever 
will  not  hearken  unto  my  words  which  he  shall  speak  in  my 
name,  I  will  require  it  of  him."  This  you  will  find  explained 
in  Acts  3  :  22,  23  —  "  For  Moses  truly  said  unto  the  fathers, 
A  prophet  shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your 
brethren,  like  unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear  in  all  things  what- 
soever he  shall  say  unto  you."  AVell,  now,  here  is  Peter's  ex- 
planation of  Deuteronomy :  "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
tlrat  every  soul  which  will  not  hear  that  prophet  "  —  alluding 
to  the  very  words — ^^  shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the 
people."  Here,  then,  you  have  the  plainest  evidence  that  the 
expression,  "  I  will  require  it  of  him,"  means,  simply,  "  He 
shall  be  put  to  death  for  so  doing." 

13ut,  then,  you  ask,  what  is  meant  by  the  reason  or  expres- 
sion, "  For  in  the  image  of  God  made  he  him  "  ?  I  have 
looked  at  the  various  commentaries  upon  the  passage,  and  the 
result  of  all  that  I  have  read  is  just  this,  that  the  magistrate 
is  the  representative  of  God,  and  so  far  discharges  the  func- 
tions of  God ;  and,  therefore,  being  made  ofl&cially  in  the 
image  of  God,  and  representing  God,  and  wielding  a  part  of 
his  sovereignty  deputed  to  him,  his  earthly  minister,  he  is  the 
proper  party  to  execute  the  punishment  that  God  has  pro- 
nounced. This  is  what  it  evidently  contemplates;  but  I 
mean  to  turn  your  attention  to  it  again,  for  the  sake  of  some 
important  relative  questions;  for  I  believe  that  there  is  grow- 
ing up  in  this  day  a  feeling,  which  I  think  is  very  infidel  in 
its  tendency,  that  all  government  is  merely  a  state  conven- 
ience, founded  on  conventional  expediency ;  and  hence,  loy- 
alty, and  love,  and  doforencc  to  the  powers  that  be,  wherever 
they  are,  are  dissolving  and  passing  away.     Amongst  other 


GENESIS    IX.  85 

modern  notions,  a  favorite  topic  is,  that  there  ought  to  be  no 
such  thing  as  capital  punishment,  even  for  the  crime  of  mur- 
der ;  the  horrid  abuse  of  this  penalty  in  the  past  giving  too 
plain  occasion  for  this  feeling.  It  is  also  very  generally  be- 
lieved that  punishment  is  to  be  inflicted  in  order  that  others 
may  not  do  the  same  crime.  That  is  a  very  low  idea  of  this 
subject.  The  high  view  is,  that  the  magistrate  is  God's 
minister  for  wrath,  that  he  bears  not  the  sword  in  vain,  and 
that  he  executes  the  sentence  that  God  has  pronounced,  not 
mainly  because  it  will  deter  others  —  though  that  is  a  con- 
sideration —  but  because  it  is  just  and  due  and  right  in  the 
sight  of  God.  The  sublime  thoughts  that  the  Bible  gives  of 
all  the  relationships,  responsibilities,  and  duties  of  life,  cannot 
be  too  much  pondered,  too  deeply  studied,  especially  in  the 
time  when  men  are  averse  to  defer  to  the  Bible,  and  are  as- 
signing self-security  or  self-interest  as  the  only  reason  for  acts 
that  rest  on  grander  foundations.  I  do  not  speak  of  the 
accompaniments  of  the  execution  of  this  awful  sentence.  I 
do  not  commit  myself  to  anything  connected  with  it,  nor  do 
I  discuss  it  at  all.  I  am  here  simply  as  the  interpreter  of  a 
passage ;  and  its  meaning  I  must  not  hesitate  to  declare.  I 
am  just  as  certain  that  this  is  the  true  one,  and  the  only  one, 
as  I  am  of  any  interpretation  of  any  other  passage  of  the 
word  of  God. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  GENERATIONS  OF  NOAH  —  THE  SONS  OP  JAPHETH  J  AND  OF  HAM 

—  SONS  OF  SHEM. 

It  seems  to  us  a  most  unprofitable  lesson  to  read  a  long 
catalogue  of  names,  the  very  sounds  of  most  of  Avhich  are 
harsh  to  our  ears,  and  the  connection  and  the  importance  of 
which  we  do  not  at  first  see.  But  we  must  recollect  that 
every  portion  of  the  Bible  was  not  written  that  each  man 
might  be  personally  profited  by  the  perusal  of  each  section 
of  it.  Portions  of  the  Scripture  which  are  not  personally 
instructive  to  us,  are  yet  generally  important  and  most  use- 
ful. For  instance,  this  catalogue  now,  which  seems  to  us  of 
no  personal,  practical  value,  —  at  least  not  spiritually  instruct- 
ive, —  is  of  immense  importance,  as  the  means  of  our  showing 
the  unity  of  the  family  of  mankind,  the  origin  of  their  disper- 
sion, —  still  more  minutely  recorded  in  the  chapter  that  fol- 
lows, —  and  the  fact  that  all  the  earth  was  peopled,  and  its 
nations  distributed,  according  to  the  sovereign  purpose  of  Him 
who  worketh  all  things  according  to  the  good  pleasiu'e  of  his 
own  will. 

The  names  of  these  nations,  of  course,  have  been,  by  the 
lapse  of  years  and  the  change  of  languages,  very  much  modi- 
fied ;  but,  still,  the  traces  of  the  ancient  divisions  are  discern- 
ible in  the  very  sounds  of  modern  names.  Last  Sabbath 
evening  I  showed  you  that  Shem,  and  Ham,  and  Japheth, 
were  the  throe  forefathers  of  the  families  of  the  earth,  and 
that  those  distinctions  which  God  made,  and  those  special 


GENESIS    X.  87 

predictions  which  Noah  uttered,  have  been  strictly  and  exactly 
fulfilled  to  the  very  letter,  downward  to  the  present  time. 

There  is  a  tradition,  —  I  do  not  know  of  what  value  it  is, 
and  most  traditions  have  a  basis  of  truth,  though  themselves 
very  distorted,  —  that  Noah  geographically  divided  the  whole 
globe,  and  scattered  the  whole  families  of  the  earth  according 
to  the  geographical  sections  that  he,  inspired  by  divine  wis- 
dom, was  pleased  to  chalk  out.  Some  have  said,  How  can  it 
be  that  America  has  been  peopled  ?  But  no  one  who  casts  a 
glance  on  that  vast  empire  can  fail  to  see  that  the  inhabitants 
are  essentially  European  ;  and  you  can  see  that  Tartary,  the 
opposite  coast,  or  part  of  Asia,  and  the  opposite  part  of 
America,  are  so  near,  that  nothing  can  be  so  easy,  or  proba- 
ble, as  a  transit  from  one  to  the  other.  And  vv^hat  is  most 
remarkable,  the  geological  strata  contiguous  to  the  coast  of 
Asia,  and  the  geological  strata  of  the  American  coast  opposite 
to  it,  are  so  identical,  that  the  two  seem  to  have  been  origi- 
nally connected.  And,  whether  connected  or  not,  we  know 
that  as  soon  as  navigation  had  made  any  progress,  storm, 
tempest,  or  wind,  might  easily  carry  the  seeds  of  a  population 
across  the  sea  from  Asia  to  America.  We  find  traces  of  an- 
cient Asiatic  languages  amongst  some  of  the  natives  of  the 
back-woods.  And  so  much  has  been  decided,  —  and  by  none 
more  strikingly  than  Dr.  Wiseman,  —  so  much  has  been 
proved  of  the  identity  subsisting  between  the  populations  of 
Asia  and  the  original  populations  of  America,  that  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  one  is  descended  from  the  other,  and  that 
America  has  been  filled  by  the  same  great  law  by  which  all 
the  rest  of  the  sections  of  the  earth  have  been  populated  —  by 
the  descendants  of  Noah. 

A  very  acute  and  able  wi'iter  (Bush),  in  some  remarks  on 

this  subject,  gives  a  list,  according  to  the  best  geographical 

information,  of  the  scattering  of  the  distant  tribes.     He  gives 

first  the  descendants  of  Japheth,  then  the  descendants  of  Ham, 

8 


88  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

or  Canaan,  and  then  the  descendants  of  Shem.  (See  Busk  on 
Genesis,  p.  1G8.) 

He  gives  the  ^^hole  of  the  descendants,  as  they  have  been 
geographically  traced,  each  from  one  of  the  three  great  fore- 
fathers of  the  human  race.  And  it  is  most  remarkable,  as  I 
showed  last  Sunday  evening,  how  strictly  and  exactly  the  pre- 
dicted characteristics  of  the  races  have  continued.  You  have 
the  descendants  of  Shem  in  the  Asiatics ;  you  have  in  Japheth 
the  father  of  the  great  European  nations,  or  Saxon  nations ; 
you  have  again  in  Ham,  or  Canaan,  the  father  of  the  African 
race.  It  is  predicted  that  Japheth  should  dwell  in  the  tents 
of  Shem.  Just  ask  who  are  the  lords  and  masters  of  India  ; 
ask  under  whose  sceptre  all  Asia,  literally  in  some  parts,  sub- 
stantially in  all  parts,  at  this  moment  bows.  It  is  under 
British  rule  —  it  is  under  Saxon  rule ;  it  is  the  descendant 
of  Japheth  literally  dwelling  in  the  tents  of  Shem,  as  every 
sovereignty  in  India  can  at  this  moment  tell  you. 

Again ;  you  ask,  in  the  next  place.  How  is  it  fulfilled  that 
God  should  enlarge  Japheth, — the  language  of  ceaseless  pro- 
gress, prosperity  and  power  ?  Now  just  listen  to  what  news- 
papers, statesmen,  all  persons  who  speak  on  the  subject,  are 
constantly  remarking.  They  say,  the  Saxon  race  seems  to  be 
the  alone  indomitable  race,  destined  yet  to  overspread  the 
earth,  and  subjugate  all  to  its  power,  and  leaven  all,  as  we 
believe,  with  its  religious  principles.  How  is  it  that  you  find 
no  race  stands  before  them  ?  The  great  empire  of  America  is 
chiefly  Saxon ;  for  it  is  our  descendants  who  are  mainly  there, 
—  either  ours  or  the  Germans ;  and  you  will  find  that  our 
own  population  arc  everywhere  holding  a  position  in  the 
world  almost  unparalleled ;  and  it  should  only  be  our  prayer, 
in  the  language  of  the  poet,  that, 

"  Wheresoe'cr  Great  Britain's  power  is  felt, 
Mankind  may  feci  hor  meroies  too." 


GENESIS   X.  89 

Therefore,  while  I  refer  much  to  our  enlightened  religion,  it 
is  also  true  that  God's  prediction  respecting  Japheth  is  at  this 
moment  being  fulfilled,  and  that  wherever  the  Saxon  race  is, 
—  I  take  them  as  the  flower  and  the  cream  of  the  descend- 
ants of  Japheth, —  there  their  empire  is  enlarged,  their  pros- 
perity progressive,  and  the  pledge  of  victory  seems  to  precede 
their  van  wherever  they  locate  themselves. 

Again ;  if  you  take  the  descendants  of  Ham,  or  Canaan, 
what  is  their  state  ?  What  has  been  done  to  put  an  end  to 
slavery  ?  This  country  has  devoted  millions  for  the  purpose, 
out  of  the  noblest  of  feelings  ;  but  what  has  been  the  result  ? 
I  have  been  told  that,  notwithstanding  all  our  eJBforts,  as 
magnanimous  as  they  are  worthy  of  us,  the  poor  African  is 
yet  the  slave  —  literally  the  "  bondsman  of  bondsmen  "  —  of 
Japheth  and  of  Shem.  We  have  slavery  still  existing,  and 
no  power,  I  believe,  will  root  it  out  till  the  end,  —  the  judg- 
ment lies  where  God  has  laid  it,  —  till  this  dispensation  shall 
be  finished.  We  must  sit  and  watch  with  deep  and  growing 
interest  God's  open  predictions  fulfilling  around  us,  and  recog- 
nize his  hand  in  them.  I  do  not  say  that  any  prediction  on 
God's  part  justifies  an  act  of  ours  against  which  there  is  a 
positive  precept.  The  reverse  is  true.  There  has  been  a 
great  deal  of  the  most  miserable  nonsense  talked  upon  this 
distinction ;  and  to  my  amazement  so  distinguished  a  writer 
as  D 'Israeli,  who  has  lately  written  the  Life  of  Lord  George 
Bentinck,  the  late  eminent  statesman,  has  actually  said  in 
that  book  —  and  I  am  surprised  that  nobody  has  exposed  his 
errors  —  that  the  Jews  did  a.  meritorious  act  when  they  ci-u- 
eified  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  that  they  were  justified  in  doing 
it  because  God  had  predicted  it.  Now,  the  answer  to  that  is 
not  a  metaphysical  one,  but  simply  to  refer  Mr.  D 'Israeli  to 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  where  Peter  said,  "Him,  being 
delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of 
God,"  —  stating  God's  prophecy,  —  "ye  have  taken,  and  by 


90  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

wicked  hands  have  crucified  and  slain,"  thus  adding  man's 
guilt.  According  to  D 'Israeli,  we  must  suppose,  that,  because 
God  has  given  a  decree  or  a  prophecy,  it  is  our  duty  to  try  to 
fulfil  it.  It  is  not  so  ;  it  is  ours  only  to  execute  duties.  On 
the  same  ground  some  persons  persecute  the  Jews.  The  popes 
in  the  middle  ages  used  to  extract  their  teeth,  and  still  more 
gladly  to  extract  their  money ;  and  persons  said  that  they 
were  doing  right,  because  God  had  predicted  it.  But  God 
will  fulfil  his  prophecies ;  it  is  ours  to  love  our  brother  as 
ourselves,  and  to  show  loving-kindness  unto  all  men.  And  so, 
with  regard  to  the  descendants  of  Ham,  men  have  kept  them 
in  slavery,  and  they  have  said,  "  It  is  predicted  to  be  so."  It 
is  our  duty  to  execute  the  precept,  love  one  another ;  God  will 
attend  to  his  own  sovereignty  and  his  own  goverimient.  Let 
us  always  keep  this  distinction  before  us  —  that  we  have 
nothing  to  do  with  trying  to  fulfil  the  prophecies ;  nor,  if  we 
do  fulfil  them,  do  we  escape  guilt,  if  guilt  be  in  the  act  of  the 
person  who  does  fulfil  them.  Our  business  is  to  believe  truths, 
and  to  obey  precepts,  and  in  all  things  to  fear  God,  and  do 
his  commandments. 

We  do  not  overvalue,  we  undervalue,  this  blessed  book. 
"V\Tiat  certain  divines  call  bibliolatry  is  simply  deference  to 
God's  holy  word ;  and  their  contemptuous  abuse  of  it  is  simply 
evinced  by  the  phrases  they  employ. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ONE  LANGUAGE  IN  THE  WORLD  —  THE  BUILDING  OP  BABEL  —  THE 

CONFUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

It  appears,  from  the  statement  made  at  the  commencement 
of  this  chapter,  what  we  should  just  have  expected  from  the 
great  age  of  the  antediluvian  patriarchs,  that  the  whole  earth 
was  of  one  language.  Language  does  not  change  so  much  in 
the  course  of  the  individual  life,  as  by  the  succession  of  in- 
dividuals, or  of  successive  generations,  in  the  current  of 
which  it  alters  in  its  idioms,  its  phrases,  its  pronunciation, 
and  often  in  its  whole  character. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  this  original  language  was  the 
Hebrew ;  and  one  reason  why  it  is  concluded  that  it  must 
have  been  so  is  that  all  the  names  in  the  book  of  Genesis, 
and  the  names  especially  prior  to  the  flood,  are  all  significant 
in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  but  have  a  significance  and  definite 
meaning  in  no  other  tongue  whatever,  and  obviously  are  not 
translations.  In  fact,  it  has  now  been  clearly  established  that 
there  was  one  universal  language,  and  that  all  existing  lan- 
guages are  more  or  less  ofishoots  from  it.  Those  who  have 
very  closely  investigated  this  subject,  have  universally  come 
to  this  conclusion.  I  will  read  two  or  three  extracts  that  I 
have  gathered.  Humboldt,  who  is  not  at  all  partial  to  the 
Mosaic  history,  states,  "  However  isolated  all  languages  may 
at  first  ajDpear, —  however  singular  their  caprices  and  idioms, — 
all  have  one  analogy  among  them."  Another  very  celebrated 
German  linguist,  and  scarcely  a  believer  in  Christianity, 
8# 


92  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

states,  "  The  universal  affinity  of  languages  is  placed  in  so 
strong  a  light,  that  it  must  be  considered  by  all  as  demon- 
strated. This  docs  not  appear  explicable  on  any  other 
hypothesis  than  that  of  admitting  fragments  of  a  primary 
language  yet  to  exist  through  all  the  languages  of  the  old 
and  new  world."  Frederick  Schlegel  holds  that  speech  was 
originally  delivered  to  man  by  God.  Herder  asserts  that 
men  did  not  voluntarily  change  their  language,  but  that  they 
must  have  been  rudely  and  violently  divided  from  one  another. 
And  Sharon  Turner,  in  a  series  of  papers  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Literature,  states  that  "  The  universal 
attraction  and  repulsion  of  languages  leave  no  alternative  in 
explaining  them,  save  the  adoption  of  some  hypothesis  similar 
to  that  declared  in  the  Mosaic  records."  And  Niebuhr  says, 
"  They  who  deny  these,  and  go  back  to  a  single  pair,  must,  to 
account  for  idioms  different  in  the  structure  of  languages, 
suppose  a  miracle,  and  adhere  to  the  confusion  of  tongues." 
And  Dr.  "Wiseman,  in  his  Lecture  on  Science  in  Connection 
with  Revealed  Religion, —  a  book  of  very  great  merit,  and 
very  great  research, —  makes  the  remark,  that  at  length  all 
linguists,  the  most  sceptical  and  the  most  credulous,  have 
come  to  one  unanimous  conclusion,  that  all  languages  have 
affinities  enough  in  them  to  indicate  a  common  origin,  but 
they  have  differences  enough  to  show  that  some  great  disloca- 
tion occurred  in  their  history.  Now  that  is  the  conclusion, 
you  observe,  not  simply  of  a  few  Christian  inquirers,  but  of 
the  most  eminent  students  of  languages,  and  of  the  most 
patient  investigators:  in  fact,  what  the  sceptic  has  made 
merry  with  as  a  fact  discreditable  to  our  Scripture,  turns  out 
to  be  a  truth  which  we  can  prove  by  careful  and  patient  in- 
duction ;  and  so  we  see,  in  this  as  in  other  things,  that  every 
century,  as  it  comes  round,  casts  fresh  light  upon  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  shows  that  the  Bible  is  ahead  of  science  a  thousand 
years,  and  that  never  is  science  ahead  of  it.     There  is  one 


GENESIS   XI.  93 

illustration  of  this.  If  you  take  modern  languages,  you  can 
almost  always  trace  words  more  or  less  Hebraistic  running 
through  them.  For  instance,  this  tower  was  called  Babel  in 
consequence  of  the  confuson  of  tongues.  Now,  the  word  in 
Latin  for  a  stammerer  is  halbus  ;  and  the  word  in  Greek  for 
a  barbarian  is  ^agSa^oi  {harharos),  but  by  substituting  one 
liquid  for  another,  which  is  a  very  common  change  in  lan- 
guages, we  should  have  had  §uI§uIog  [halbalos),  originating 
in  Babel ;  and  numerous  other  words  may  be  traced  up  to 
this  fountain,  all  coming  forward  as  witnesses  of  this  great 
fact.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  plain  that  all  known  lan- 
guages may  be  reduced  originally  to  one,  and  that  their 
differences  are  to  be  accounted  for  only  on  the  supposition  of 
the  great  infraction  of  them  recorded  in  this  very  chapter, 
and  on  this  very  occasion. 

The  words  which  are  here  used,  "  Go  to,"  is  a  common  ex- 
pression, and  means  "  Come," —  "  Come  let  us  sing^  unto  the 
Lord," — that  is,  begin  to  do  a  thing. 

It  appears  that  they  raised  the  high  tower,  in  order  that 
they  might  get  a  name,  and  lest  they  should  be  scattered.  In 
looking  at  the  fourth  verse,  the  semicolon  which  is  put 
after  "  heaven "  ought  to  be  after  "  name ; "  and  then  it 
runs  thus  :  "  Go  to,"  or  come,  "  let  us  build  us  a  city,  and  a 
tower,  whose  top  may  reach  unto  heaven,  and  let  us  make  us 
a  name ;  lest  we  be  scattered  abroad  upon  the  face  of  the 
whole  earth."  The  "  lest  we  be  scattered  abroad  "  does  not 
depend  upon  making  a  name,  but  building  a  tower  whose  top 
should  reach  unto  heaven. 

The  expression,  "  The  Lord  came  down,"  is  simjDly  an  ac- 
commodation to  the  usages  of  man,  and  is  classified  with 
"  God  repented,"  &c.  "  And  the  Lord  said,  Behold  the 
people  is  one,  and  they  have  all  one  language ;  and  this  they 
begin  to  do ;  and  now  nothing  will  be  restrained  from  them ;  " 


94  SCRIPTURE    RKAT^TNGS. 

that  is,  no  wickedness  or  depravity  will  be  restrained  from 
them. 

I  may  notice,  too,  that  the  sixth  and  seventh  verses  are 
proposed  by  critics  to  be  properly  put  within  parentheses,  and 
if  so,  you  would  see  it  would  read  better.  "  (And  the  Lord 
had  said,  Behold,  the  people  is  one,  and  they  have  all  one 
language ;  and  this  they  begin  to  do :  and  now  nothing  will 
be  restrained  from  them,  which  they  have  imagined  to  do. 
Go  to,  let  us  go  down,  and  there  confound  their  language, 
that  they  may  not  understand  one  another's  speech.)"  The 
fifth  verse,  "  And  the  Lord  came  down  to  see  the  city  and 
the  tower,  which  the  children  of  men  builded,"  and  the  eighth, 
'•  So  the  Lord  scattered  them  abroad,"  are  the  narrative ; 
and  then,  these  two  verses,  the  sixth  and  seventh,  are  thrown 
in  to  explain  the  origin  of  the  reason  of  God  interfering  to 
scatter  them. 

The  traces  of  this  Tower  of  Babel  are  still  existent,  it  is 
supposed  by  many  travellers.  I  may  read  a  very  short  ex- 
tract which  will  show  you  that  there  are  remains  of  it  still 
existing.  I  copy  it  from  some  short  notes  on  this  chapter,  by 
Bush,  an  American  commentator,  and  who  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  remains  of  this  tower :  —  "  Accordingly,  in 
the  midst  of  that  far-famed  city  "  (Babylon),  "  as  we  learn 
from  the  Greek  historians,  there  arose  an  enormous  tower, 
dedicated  to  the  god  Belus,  bearing  on  its  summit  his  temple 
or  saccUum.  It  was  composed  of  eight  square  towers  or 
stories,  of  successively  diminishing  size,  piled  one  upon  the 
other,  with  an  ascent  of  steps  on  the  outside  winding  up  to 
each  tower,  and  of  very  ample  breadth.  By  comparing  to- 
gether the  two  accounts  of  Herodotus  and  Strabo,  we  learn 
that  each  side  of  its  base  measured  a  stadium  or  furlonjr 
(five  hundred  feet)  in  length,  and  that  it  was  also  a  stadium 
in  height,  which  makes  it  considerably  higher  than  the  largest 
of  the  Egyptian  pyramids,  though   standing   upon  a  much 


GENESIS   XI.  95 

narrower  base.  From  the  same  authorities  we  learn  that  it 
stood  in  the  midst  of  a  court  or  enclosure  which  was  two 
stadia  square.  The  question,  then,  arises,  whether  a  building 
of  such  vast  bulk  was  the  entire  work  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
after  having  previously  removed  the  remains  of  the  work  of 
Nimrod ;  or  whether  it  was  or  not,  in  reality,  the  original 
structure,  repaired  and  finished,  and  beautified.  With  Pri- 
deaux,  and  other  sensible  writers,  we  think  there  can  be  little 
doubt  how  we  ought  to  decide  the  point.  As  the  original 
edifice  was  probably  for  the  most  part  solid,  such  a  vast  mass 
of  sun-dried  and  kiln-burnt  bricks  would  not  fall  to  decay,  like 
a  Grecian  or  Roman  temple  of  modern  masonry,  nor  would 
time  render  it  incapable  of  being  very  effectually  repaired. 
That  it  was  so  repaired  there  is  the  strongest  reason  to  believe, 
and  consequently  that  the  tower  described  by  Herodotus  was 
not  the  original  Tower  of  Babel  here  mentioned,  but  that 
tower  reedified  from  its  ruins,  and  freshly  adorned  by 
Nebuchadnezzar.  Whether  any  traces  now  remain  of  this 
prodigious  structure,  and,  if  so,  where  they  are  to  be  sought 
for,  is  a  question  of  somewhat  difficult  solution.  Three  dis- 
tinct masses  of  ruin  in  the  region  of  Babylon  have  been  claimed 
by  different  writers  as  entitled  to  this  distinction ;  namely, 
Nimrod'' s  Tower,  at  Akkerkoof;  the  Mujelibee,  about  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  east  of  the  Euphrates,  and  five  miles 
above  the  modern  town  of  Hillah ;  and  the  Birs  Nemroud,  to 
the  loest  of  that  river,  and  about  six  miles  to  the  south-east 
of  Hillah.  Niebuhr,  Porter,  and  Rosenmiiller  concur  with 
the  traditions  of  the  country  in  fixing  upon  the  latter  as  the 
probable  site  of  this  earliest  great  work  of  man.  '  The  Birs 
Nimrod,'  says  Mr.  Rich,  *  is  a  mound  of  an  oblong  form, 
the  total  circumference  of  which  is  seven  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  yards.  At  the  eastern  side  it  is  cloven  by  a  deep  furrow, 
and  is  not  more  than  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high ;  but  on  the 
western  side  it  rises  in  a  conical  fieiire  to  the  elevation  of 


96  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  feet,  and  on  its  summit  is  a 
solid  pile  of  brick,  thirty-seven  feet  by  twenty-eight  in 
breadth,  diminishing  in  thickness  to  the  top,  which  is  brokea 
and  irregular,  and  rent  by  a  large  fissure  extending  through 
a  third  of  its  height.  The  fire-burnt  bricks  have  inscriptions 
on  them,  and  so  excellent  is  the  cement  that  it  is  nearly  im- 
possible to  extract  one  whole.  The  other  parts  of  the  summits 
of  this  hill  are  occupied  by  immense  fragments  of  brickwork 
of  no  determinate  figure,  tumbled  together,  and  converted 
into  solid  vitrified  masses,  as  if  they  had  undergone  the  action 
of  the  fiercest  fire.'  In  regard  to  this  latter  appearance  Sir 
R.  K.  Porter  has  no  doubt  that  the  effect  was  produced  by 
fire  acting  from  above,  and  that  it  was  probabl}^  lightning. 
The  circumstance  is  remarkable  in  connection  with  the  tradi- 
tion that  the  original  tower  of  Babel  was  rent  and  overthrown 
by  fire  from  heaven.  At  any  rate  it  cannot  now  be  seen 
without  bringing  to  mind  the  emphatic  prophecy  of  Jeremiah 
li.  25,  '  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  upon  thee,  and  roll  thee 
down  from  the  rocks,  and  will  make  thee  a  burnt  mountain^ 
It  may  be  remarked  that  very  striking  testimonies  to  the 
event  here  recorded  are  to  be  found  in  several  ancient  pro- 
fane authors.  Josephus  quotes  from  one  of  the  Sibylline 
oracles  the  following  words :  — '  When  all  mankind  spoke  the 
same  language,  some  of  them  elevated  a  tower  immensely 
high,  as  if  they  would  ascend  up  into  heaven ;  but  the  gods 
sent  a  wind  and  overthrew  the  tower,  and  assigned  to  each  a 
particular  language ;  and  hence  the  city  of  Babylon  derived 
its  name.'  Abydenus,  as  quoted  by  Eusebius,  uses  similar 
language  :  — '  There  are  who  relate  that  the  first  men,  born 
of  the  earth  (giants),  when  they  grew  proud  of  their  strength 
and  stature,  supposing  that  they  were  more  excellent  than  the 
gods,  wickedly  attempted  to  build  a  tower  where  Babylon 
now  stands.  But  the  work,  advancing  towards  heaven,  was 
overthrown  upon  the  builders  by  the  gods,  with  the  assistance 


GENESIS   XI.  97 

of  the  winds ;  and  the  name  Babylon  was  imposed  upon  the 
ruins.  Till  that  period  men  were  of  one  language  ;  but  then 
the  gods  sent  among  them  a  diversity  of  tongues.  And  then 
commenced  the  war  between  Saturn  and  Titan.'  Finally, 
Eupolemus,  as  cited  by  Alexander  Polyhister,  aJErms,  '  That 
the  city  of  Babylon  was  first  built  by  giants  who  escaped 
from  the  flood ;  that  these  giants  built  the  most  famous  tower 
in  all  history ;  and  that  the  tower  was  dashed  in  pieces  by 
the  almighty  power  of  God,  and  the  giants  dispersed  and 
scattered  over  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.'  " 

Thus,  then,  if  we  take  the  remains  of  the  languages  as  we 
now  find  them,  we  find  common  affinities,  indicating  a  common 
origin,  and  testifying  also  to  some  great  dislocation ;  if  we 
take  next  the  geographical  remains  of  Babel,  as  these  are 
described  by  the  historian  and  the  traveller,  we  see  these  in- 
dicating the  fact  of  there  having  been  some  great  disaster 
produced,  as  Sir  R.  Ker  Porter  says,  probably  by  lightning ; 
if  we  next  take  the  traditions  among  all  nations,  all  con- 
verging to  one  point,  we  shall  have  the  physical  world, 
ethnography,  physiology,  and  tradition,  all  concurring  in 
pointing  to  this  event,  and  showing  that  the  original,  the 
truth,  the  inspiration  is  here  ;  and  all  nature  throughout  her 
varied  provinces  bears  witness  by  pointing  back  to  it  that  it 
is  so. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE   TENT   AND   THE   ALTAR  —  DIVINE   MANIFESTATIONS AKRAM's   SIN. 

"We  have  here  the  first  commencement  of  a  selected  or  an 
elected  Church,  commissioned  to  go  forth  and  flourish  in  the 
midst  of  an  alien  world,  surrounded  bj  hostile  elements,  and 
in  the  face  of  a  people  that  were  from  nature  opposed  to  it. 
The  promise  is,  that  all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 
blessed  in  Abram.  The  marching  order  is,  *'  Go  forth  to  a 
country  which  I  will  show  thee ;  "  and,  obedient  to  this,  the 
message  of  his  God,  Abram  departed,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken 
to  him,  at  once,  and  Lot  went  with  him.  Why  Lot  went 
with  him  it  is  difficult  to  say.  There  is  some  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  Lot,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Abram,  was 
brought  to  see  that  evangelical  light  which  had  begun  to 
dawn,  though  the  subsequent  career  of  Lot  shows  an  affinity 
to  the  world,  and  an  attachment  to  its  profits  and  its  sins, 
that  would  seem  to  indicate  at  least  not  great  maturity,  if, 
indeed,  the  reality  of  Christian  character. 

We  read  that  he  took  with  him,  not  only  Lot,  but  the 
souls  that  he  had  gotten  in  Haran ;  that  is,  not  his  children 
by  nature,  but  those  whom  his  ministry  and  efforts  were 
blessed  to  —  the  souls  that  were  his  reward,  and  whom  ho 
had  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  tho  living  and  true  God 
after  his  own  conversion,  and  with  whom  he  was  called  to  go 
forth  into  a  land  that  God  would  show  him. 

It  is  also  added,  "  And  Abram  passed  through  the  land 
unto  the  place  of  Sichem,  unto  the  plain  of  Moreh."     That 


GENESIS  xir:  99 

expression,  "  passed  through,"  might  be  rather  translated, 
"sojourned  in,"  passed  to  and  fro;  that  is,  did  not  settle  in 
any  one  spot,  either  to  build  a  city,  or  to  raise  a  permanent 
habitation. 

It  is  added,  "  The  Canaanite  was  then  in  the  land."  This 
remark,  of  course,  is  made  by  Moses,  the  historian,  and  it 
is  meant  by  the  contrast  to  show  the  earnestness  and  the 
intensity  of  Abram's  piety ;  that,  although  the  hateful  Canaan- 
ite, hateful  from  what  he  morally  and  wickedly  was,  and 
from  what  he  had  made  himself,  was  in  the  land,  yet,  in 
spite  of  him,  and  in  the  face  of  him,  he  erected  an  altar 
wherever  he  pitched  a  tent,  and  openly  and  fearlessly  wor- 
shipped God. 

And  we  read  that  when  Abram  had  come  into  this  land, 
the  Lord  appeared  to  him.  There  has  been  a  great  deal 
written  upon  these  appearances  of  God,  and  the  strong  con- 
clusion of  most  of  those  who  have  directed  their  attention  to 
the  subject,  has  been,  that  this  was  the  Second  Person  of  the 
glorious  Trinity.  It  would  be  too  long  a  matter  to  enter 
into  the  evidences  of  this,  but  to  my  mind  they  are  irresisti- 
ble, and  they  prove  as  strongly  as  any  such  point  can  be 
proved,  that  it  was  our  blessed  Lord  assuming  the  form  of 
humanity  before  he  was  Incarnate,  showing  how  truly  his 
delights  were  with  the  children  of  men  by  his  thus  anticipat- 
ing his  sojourn  among  them  before  the  era  appointed  for  his 
incarnation  and  death. 

We  read,  next,  that  Abram  "  removed  from  thence  unto  a 
mountain  on  the  east  of  Bethel,  and  pitched  his  tent,  having 
Bethel  on  the  west,  and  Hai  on  the  east;  and  there  he 
builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord,  and  called  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord."  Wherever  the  patriarch  went,  there  he  felt  it 
alike  his  duty  and  his  privilege  to  acknowledge  the  true  and 
the  living  God.  When  the  inhabitants  of  Shinar  found  a 
plain  that  seemed  to  them  suitable  for  a  permanent  abode, 
9 


100  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

they  set  about  building  a  tower,  that  they  blasphemously 
said  would  reach  the  heavens  and  defy  God ;  but  Abram, 
under  a  better  and  a  purer  inspiration,  wherever  he  went, 
thought  of  no  resting-place  for  a  permanency,  for  he  pitched 
a  tent,  not  built  a  house;  and  he  felt  that  wherever  he 
pitched  that  tent,  there  he  should  raise  an  altar  and  worship 
God.  What  rebuke  to  some  Christians,  who  have,  not  a 
tent  as  Abram  had,  but  a  house  to  live  in,  living  amid  greater 
light,  and  yet  without  the  altar  !  Wherever  Abram's  tent 
was  pitched,  there  Abram's  altar  was  raised.  Wherever  man 
is,  there  he  should  recognize  God.  And  the  sequel  of  this 
history  proves  that  it  was  he  whose  tent  and  altar  were  never 
separated,  whose  happiness  increased  like  a  river ;  and  it 
was  he,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  sequel  of  this  story,  who  went 
out  with  him,  who  pitched  the  tent,  but  omitted  to  raise  the 
altar,  who  lost  his  family,  and  almost  lost  his  soul. 

We  read,  in  the  tenth  verse,  that  there  was  a  famine  in 
this  land  of  Canaan.  This  seemed  very  unlike  a  land  of 
promise ;  it  must  have  been  very  discouraging  to  Abram  at 
first  to  find  that  the  land  he  was  sent  to,  with  the  idea  that  it 
was  a  land  fit  to  live  in,  and,  as  the  Israelites  were  told  sub- 
sequently, overflowing  with  milk  and  honey,  should  yet  be  so 
barren  that  the  very  first  providential  incident  that  he 
should  meet  with  was  a  famine.  And,  yet,  he  overcame  by 
faith,  and  in  spite  of  dark  things,  and,  in  the  absence  of  en- 
couragements, he  trusted  in  God ;  for,  in  the  language  of  the 
apostle  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  he  looked  for  a  city 
that  hath  foundations.  He  had  no  desire  to  return  back ; 
for,  if  he  had,  he  might  have  returned;  but  he  had  a  confi- 
dence in  his  God,  and  therefore  a  certainty  that  his  destiny 
must  be  right.  If  we  arc  sure  that  God  is  in  all,  control- 
ling all,  governing  all,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  issue  must 
be  what  infinite  wisdom  will  select,  what  infinite  love  will 
preBcribe;  and,  therefore,  confidence  in  God  is  the  secret  of 


GENESIS    XII,  101 

all  happiness,  and  the  source  of  all  peace.  Just  be  persuaded 
that  not  only  God  is,  but  that  God  acts ;  not  only  that  there 
is  a  God  in  the  world,  but  a  God  making  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him,  and  you  have  in  that 
conviction  a  spring  of  inexhaustible  peace.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  you  have  the  idea  which,  alas !  some  practi- 
cally entertain,  that  God  made  the  world,  and  set  it  a-going, 
and  left  it  to  make  the  best  of  its  way ;  why,  with  such  a 
conviction,  one  cannot  have  a  moment's  safety,  or  a  moment's 
peace.  It  is  just  the  absence  of  God  from  all  our  conclu- 
sions, our  schemes,  and  our  plans,  that  gives  us  disquiet  and 
involves  them  in  confusion  ;  and  it  is  the  recognition  of  God — 
"Thou,  God,  seest  me;  and  thou,  God,  art  in  this  place, 
working  out  thine  .own  grand  purposes,"  —  that  enables  one 
to  brace  oneself  for  duty,  and  to  enter  upon  the  path  set 
before  us,  however  dark,  however  clouded,  however  unprom- 
ising, knowing  that  the  end  will  be  glory  to  God  and  happi- 
ness to  us. 

We  come,  in  the  close  of  this  chapter,  to  one  of  the  darkest 
traits  in  the  whole  history  of  Abram,  —  his  language  to 
Pharaoh  respecting  Sarah.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  to 
remark  of  it,  that  there  is  no  such  thing  in  the  whole  Bible 
as  a  perfect  man,  esceptii^  the  man  Christ  Jesus  ;  and  per- 
haps it  is  well  that  it  is  so,  in  order  that  we  should  see  that 
the  finest  specimens  of  humanity  were  flawed,  that  the  most 
beautiful  instances  of  Christian  character  were  not  perfect. 
Alas  !  they  have  all  imperfections ;  some  of  them  great  imper- 
fections. But  if  the  writer  of  this  book  had  been  an  impostor, 
palming  a  book  upon  the  world  as  a  gift  from  God,  in  order 
to  aggrandize  his  country,  as  a  Jew,  and  to  make  his  charac- 
ters appear  in  their  brightest  lights,  like  a  dramatist,  he 
would  have  kept  all  the  discreditable  shades  in  the  back- 
ground,—  he  would  have  passed  them  by ;  and,  therefore,  the 
minute  faithfulness  with  which  the  scriptural  penmen  record 


102  SCRIPTURE    READINGS, 

tlicir  own  sins,  and  faults,  and  failings,  is,  to  my  mind,  one 
of  those  latent,  but  irresistible  proofs  of  the  inspiration  under 
which  they  wrote.  And,  then,  you  will  notice,  in  the  next 
place,  when  a  human  biographer  describes  a  man,  he  con- 
stantly brings  forward  the  bright  spots  in  his  character,  and 
tries  to  tone  down  the  darker  ones ;  but  when  the  penmen 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  wrote,  they  did  not  describe  a  pro- 
file, keeping  one  side  of  character  in  the  clear  sunlight,  and 
the  dark  side  in  the  shade ;  but  they  describe  man  exactly 
as  he  is  —  Abraham  as  ho  was,  David  as  he  was,  Peter 
as  he  was  —  and  in  no  other  way.  If  they  pronounced 
eulogia  on  their  sins,  and  tried  to  portray  them  as  virtues, 
that  would  be  a  very  diflferent  thing ;  but  generally  there  is 
censure,  and  where  there  is  no  censure  there  is  the  naked 
record ;  and  as  we  read  the  record  in  the  light  of  the  holy 
law,  with  which  it  is  inseparably  connected,  we  learn  to  con- 
demn the  sins  that  are  in  God's  servants,  making  the  sins 
beacons  for  us  to  avoid,  and  the  graces  eflforts  for  us  to  imi- 
tate. And  there  is,  as  every  one  knows,  a  peculiar  value  in 
the  records  of  the  sins  of  great  characters.  Who  does  not 
know  that  the  sand-banks  in  our  channels  are  made  less  for- 
midable by  retaining  the  wrecks  that  have  struck  on  them  ? 
A  wreck  sinks,  and  the  topmast  offiy  appears  —  a  buoy  is  put 
there  to  warn  others  of  it.  And  so,  these  defects  that  appear 
in  great  characters,  these  incidental  shipwrecks  that  are  not 
fatal,  or  tending  to  the  ultimate  and  irretrievable  danger  of 
the  voyager  in  this  momentous  drama  we  call  human  life,  are 
the  buoys,  the  floating  buoys,  that  warn  us  where  the  wreck 
is,  and  tell  us  where  we  may  make  a  shipwreck  far  more  dis- 
astrous than  theirs. 

I  am  not  going  to  praise  Abraham  in  this.  The  Roman 
Catholic  can  quote  tliis  to  justify  some  of  his  morality ;  but 
by  this  plan  he  might  quote  Peter's  denial  of  Jesus.  It  is  not 
urged  upon  us  as  a  precedent.    There  was  truth  in  Abraham's 


GENESIS   XII.  103 

words,  untruth  in  Abraham's  design.  We  have  the  simple 
fact  that  Abraham  did  tell  the  truth.  He  said  that  she  was 
his  sister,  and  so  she  was  his  step-sister  ;  and  so  far  what  he 
said  was  true.  But  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  suppressio 
veri  is  very  often  the  suggestio  falsi,  —  that  is,  that  the  sup- 
pression of  a  part  of  the  truth  is  often  the  suggestion  of  what 
is  positively  false.  And  though  it  be  quite  true  that  when 
Abram  said  that  she  was  his  sister,  he  spoke  what  was  liter- 
ally true,  yet  when  he  said,  "  She  is  my  sister,"  it  was  meant 
to  imply  she  is  not  my  wife,  and  thus  to  enable  him  to  escape 
from  being  killed  by  Pharaoh,  should  the  monarch  desire  to 
have  her.  You  see  at  once  that  he  meant  to  convey  to  Pha- 
raoh that  she  was  not  his  wife ;  and  therefore  there  was 
falsehood  in  reality,  and  it  was  a  defect  in  the  father  of  the 
faithful.  In  order  to  see  what  Abraham  thought  of  the  act, 
I  refer  you  to  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Genesis,  at  the  eleventh 
verse,  where  Abraham  says,  "  Because  I  thought,  surely  the 
fear  of  God  is  not  in  this  place ;  and  they  will  slay  me  for 
my  wife's  sake."  This  was  because  an  eastern  prince,  if  he 
saw  one  woman  in  the  land  more  fair  and  beautiful  than 
another,  felt  that  it  was  one  of  the  rights  of  sovereignty  in 
ignorant  and  unenlightened  lands  to  seize  such  ;  and  here  in 
this  twentieth  chapter,  at  the  eleventh  verse,  we  have  Abra- 
ham's not  defence  but  statement  of  the  facts  of  the  case  :  "  Be- 
cause I  thought,  surely  the  fear  of  God  is  not  in  this  place,  " 
—  you  observe  the  Christian  character  of  the  man,  —  "and 
they  will  slay  me  for  my  wife's  sake.  And  yet,  indeed,  she  is 
my  sister  —  she  is  the  daughter  of  my  father,  but  not  the  daugh- 
ter of  my  mother ;  and  she  became  my  wife."  This  is  his  own 
simple  explanation  of  it.  He  does  not  justify  it,  but  he  puts 
you  in  possession  of  the  facts,  and  leaves  your  verdict  to  be  that 
which  God's  holy  law  plainly  suggests.  And,  it  is  singular, 
there  are  other  incidents  of  this  kind  in  the  Bible,  not  stated 
in  the  way  of  justification.  In  Acts  23 :  6,  if  I  mistake  not, 
9=^ 


104  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

there  occurs  an  instance :  "  But  when  Paul  perceived  that  the 
one  part  were  Sadducces,  and  the  other  Pharisees,  he  cried 
out  in  the  council,  Men  and  brethren,  I  am  a  Pharisee,  the 
Bon  of  a  Pharisee ;  of  the  hope  and  resurrection  of  the  dead 
I  am  called  in  question."  That  was  true,  but  it  was  not  the 
whole  truth ;  he  was  more  than  a  Pharisee,  he  was  also  a 
Christian,  and  an  apostle ;  and  candor  seems  to  demand  that 
he  should  have  stated  the  whole  truth  respecting  himself. 
These  are  incidents  that  occur  to  show  how  much  there  is  to 
forgive  in  the  best  of  men,  how  charitable  we  should  be  in 
reference  to  one  another,  and  how  thankful  we  should  be  that 
we  have  one,  the  Perfect  Man,  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh ;  " 
the  model  that  rebukes,  and  the  atonement  that  forgives. 

But  Abraham,  I  doubt  not,  found  out,  in  God's  goodness, 
not  in  his  judgment,  how  absurd,  how  wicked,  how  impru- 
dent, to  try  by  one  evil  to  avoid  another  expected  or  feared 
or  contingent.  Abraham  here  acted  from  expediency.  I 
believe  that  one  of  the  most  wretched  doctrines  of  the  day  is 
what  is  called  the  doctrine  of  expediency, —  an  amazingly 
popular  doctrine,  and  which,  when  carried  into  practice,  is  to 
look  not  at  law  or  duty,  but  at  what  is  expedient  for  the 
nonce.  Now,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  law  everlastingly  just, 
that  whatever  is  right  is  expedient,  and  that  whatever  is  wrong 
never  can  be  expedient,  and  that  what  seems  to  us  the  most 
expedient  thing  for  the  present,  if  not  right,  will  be  found  in 
the  issue  to  be  the  most  inexpedient  in  all  its  issues.  Now, 
what  was  Abraham's  fear  ?  He  anticipated  that  the  wretched 
caterers  to  the  passions  of  the  eastern  monarch  would  come 
and  seize  his  wife,  who  was  then  beautiful,  although  of  the 
age  of  sixty  years,  —  human  life  lasting  very  long  at  that  era, 
and  only  gradually  shortening  and  degenerating, —  and  he 
said,  "  When  they  see  her,"  for  whatever  was  their  character, 
they  reverenced  marriage,  "  they  will  kill  me  in  order  that 
Pharaoh  may  have  her  as  his  wife."     That   was  his  fear. 


GENESIS    XII.  105 

*  Therefore,  I  will  say,  or  hint,  or  imply,  that  she  is  not  my 
wife,  by  saying  she  is  my  sister ;  and  then  I  shall  escape 
being  killed."  Well,  Pharaoh  took  this  Sarah,  supposing  her 
to  be  Abraham's  sister,  and  unmarried.  She  was  only  in  his 
house  for  a  very  short  time,  probably  a  few  hours,  when  he 
came  to  know  that  he  was  about  to  live  in  the  violation  of  a 
solemn  compact.  And  when  he  discovered  that  she  was 
Abraham's  wife,  one  would  have  thought  that  he  would  have 
ordered  the  patriarch  to  be  destroyed  for  acting  thus  deceit- 
fully ;  but  he  gently  remonstrated  with  Abraham ;  and  that 
gentle  remonstrance  of  a  heathen  king  must  have  cut  the 
heart  of  the  patriarch  to  the  very  core.  "  Why  did  you  say 
she  was  your  sister  ?  You  did  me  injustice  although  you  have 
deceived  me.  You  anticipated  real  evil  to  your  wife ;  but 
in  bringing  her  back  unharmed  is  evidence  that,  if  jou  had 
told  all,  I  should  have  treated  you  as  I  treat  you  now,  with 
courtesy  and  kindness,  and  the  greatest  consideration."  The 
evils  that  we  fear  are  often  imaginary,  and,  when  we  take 
plans  that  are  sinful  to  avoid  those  evils,  we  sometimes 
plunge  into  greater  ones ;  and  at  other  times  we  learn  that 
we  were  afraid  where  no  fear  was.  Had  Abraham  told  the 
exact  facts  of  the  case,  he  would  have  met  with  no  less  kindly 
and  considerate  treatment,  and  his  character  would  not  have 
been  stained  by  a  reproach  which  has  been  forgiven,  but 
never  will  be,  in  this  dispensation,  forgotten. 

Truth  is  real  safety ;  falsehood  is  never  so.  Seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  and  all  other  things 
will  be  added.  All  things  will  befriend  the  man  who  is  the 
friend  of  God. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

RICHES     NOT    NECESSARILY    SINFUL  —  SOCIALISM  —  EARLY    SYMPATHIES 
CHOICE   OF   LOT PRINCIPLE THE    JEW. 

We  have  here  one  of  those  expressive  and  beautiful  inci- 
dents that  form  lights,  as  it  were,  in  the  history  of  the  past, 
enabling  us  to  see  the  path  of  true  prosperity  ever  to  be  the 
path  of  true  and  of  Christian  principle. 

Abraham,  or  Abram,  the  first  name  by  which  he  was 
known,  was  very  rich.  So  far  it  is  no  sin  to  be  rich ;  and 
hence,  the  notion  that  prevails  in  many  parts  of  the  continent 
of  Europe,  that  war  against  the  rich  is  a  duty,  is  a  most 
unchristian  sentiment.  There  is  no  more  merit  in  being  poor 
than  there  is  sin  in  being  rich.  One  may  be  very,  very  rich, 
and  yet  very  Christian  and  very  humble ;  and  another  may 
be  very,  very  poor,  and  yet  very  proud  and  very  unchristian. 
It  is  the  man  that  lends  weight  and  worth  and  tone  to  the 
circumstance ;  it  is  not  the  outer  circumstance  that  makes  or 
mars  the  man.  A  very  mean  heart  may  be  adorned  with  a 
coronet ;  a  very  noble  spirit  may  sweep  a  crossing.  Abra- 
ham was  rich ;  and  yet  Abraham,  rich  as  he  was,  employed 
his  riches  to  build  an  altar  wherever  he  pitched  a  tent,  and 
showed,  when  a  collision  came  between  a  brother,  what  a 
beautiful  and  Christian  spirit  actuated  the  father  of  the 
faithful. 

Abraham  was  rich  in  cattle,  in  silver,  and  in  gold.  The 
silver  and  the  gold,  of  course,  were  not  in  currency.  There 
is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  gold  had  been  in  the  mint  and 
Btamped  into   coins  for  currency  :  it  was  in  the  mass  —  in 


GENESIS   XIII.  107 

the  ore ;  and  it  was  substantial  property.  But  cattle  was 
the  great  sign  of  riches  in  ancient  times ;  and  in  the  case  of 
Job  —  perhaps  an  older  patriarch  still,  at  least  a  cotempo- 
rary  of  Abraham  —  his  cattle  constituted  the  entirety  of  his 
property.  We  use  the  word  pecuniary,  derived  from  the 
nature  of  ancient  wealth,  to  signify  wealth  —  pecuniary  cir- 
cumstances. Now  the  word  pecuniary  comes  from  the  Latin 
word  pecunia,  and  that  word  comes  from  another  Latin  word, 
pecus,  which  means  "  cattle  ;  "  and,  therefore,  when  we  speak 
of  "  pecuniary  circumstances,"  it  is,  literally  translated,  "  cat- 
tle circumstances,"  because  cattle  was  money,  and  money  was 
cattle,  in  ancient  times ;  and,  whilst  the  substantial  thing 
has  changed,  the  name,  as  in  many  other  cases,  still  remains. 

Abram  returned  "  to  Beth-el,  unto  the  place  where  his  tent 
had  been  at  the  beginning,  between  Beth-el  and  Hai ;  unto 
the  place  of  the  altar  which  he  had  made  there."  In  other 
words,  he  returned  to  the  ancient  church,  for  church  it  was, 
where  first  he  had  worshipped  when  he  went  forth  a  pilgrim 
and  a  stranger,  not  knowing  whither  he  should  go.  And  who 
does  not  know  that  the  place  where  we  ourselves  have  been 
baptized,  around  the  walls  of  which  are  the  green  and  the 
hillocked  graves  of  our  fathers,  is  the  shrine  of  many  a  beau- 
tiful and  holy  recollection  ?  And  who  does  not  feel,  when  he 
returns  to  that  spot,  however  mean  the  fabric  in  the  midst  of 
it,  however  bare  the  graves  of  "  God's  acre,"  as  the  Germans 
call  it,  around  it,  it  is  yet  suggestive  of  many  a  holy  and 
many  a  sublime  thought  ?  Thus  we  can  sympathize  with 
Abram  when  he  returned,  after  many  wanderings,  to  the  first 
altar  he  built,  and  the  first  green  knoll  on  which  he  bowed  the 
knee  and  worshipped. 

Lot  went  with  him,  also  rich  in  cattle,  and  herds,  and 
tents ;  but  the  land,  it  is  said,  was  not  able  to  bear  them. 
They  were  dependent  upon  the  soil  for  all  their  sustenance, 
and,  of  course,  when  they  increased  in  numbers,  the  soil  and 


108  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

the  pasturage  were  not  adequate  to  their  cattle,  nor  the  corn 
equal  to  their  nourishment,  there  being  then  no  foreign 
imports.  This  is  one  explanation;  but  it  may  have  been  that 
it  was  not  want  of  room,  nor  want  of  food,  but  want  of  tem- 
per, that  made  the  land  unable  to  bear  them.  Many  a  nation 
would  have  much  greater  harmony  within  and  without  if  it 
had  only  much  more  temper.  But  we  infer,  from  several 
incidents  that  occurred,  that  Lot  was  a  quarrelsome  man ; 
and  a  quarrelsome  man  is  a  far  greater  impediment  to  peace 
in  a  country,  than  any  failure  of  its  substantial  productions 
in  pasturage  and  in  corn. 

And  hence,  from  this,  or  from  some  other  cause,  there  was 
a  strife  between  the  herdsmen  of  Abram's  cattle  and  of  Lot's 
cattle.  There  is  one  most  significant  touch  given  in  this 
record,  which  is  exquisitely  beautiful :  "  The  Canaanite  and 
the  Perizzite  dwelled  then  in  the  land."  This  seems  a  very 
dry  remark  in  itself;  but,  in  connection  with  the  quarrel  of 
the  uncle  and  nephew,  it  is  a  very  vivid  one,  because  two 
Christian  men  were  quarrelling  about  pasturage,  and  food, 
and  cattle,  while  the  Canaanite,  the  heathen,  who  hated  them 
and  their  religion,  just  as  the  Pope  does  us  —  warming  his 
hands  at  the  contentious  quarrels  that  we  Protestants  kindle 
—  was  then,  as  the  Cardinal  is  now,  in  the  land. 

But  when  there  arose  a  quarrel  between  the  two,  who  was 
it  that  ought  to  have  given  way  ?  Abram  was  the  elder,  — 
he  might  have  exacted  deference, —  and  Lot  was  the  younger ; 
it  was,  therefore,  his  duty  to  give  way.  But  who  first  gave 
way  ?  The  man  who  always  built  an  altar  wherever  he  built 
a  tent  was  the  man  who  gave  way ;  and  he  who  built  no 
altar  (for  there  is  no  record  that  he  did)  where  he  built  a 
tent,  was  the  party  who  stood  up  and  fought,  as  he  thought, 
most  manfully  for  his  rights. 

The  moment  that  Abram  saw  this,  he  said  unto  Lot,  "  Let 
there  be  no  strife,  I  pray  thee,  between  me  and  thee,  and 


GENESIS  xni.  109 

between  my  herdmen  and  thy  herdmen  ;  for  we  be  brethren. 
Is  not  the  whole  land  before  thee  ?  Separate  thyself,  I  pray 
thee,  from  me ;  if  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand,  then  I  will  go 
to  the  right ;  or,  if  thou  depart  to  the  right  hand,  then  I  will 
go  to  the  left."  This  single  sentiment  is  the  most  beautiful 
commentary  upon  the  text,  "  If  any  man  will  have  thy  cloak, 
let  him  have  thy  coat  also."  It  is  not  the  mere  mechanical 
surrender  of  the  coat  to  a  man  who  takes  your  cloak,  for  that 
may  be  done  without  any  Christian  feeling  at  all  that  is  true 
charity ;  but  it  is  the  subjection,  and,  if  needs  be,  sui-render 
of  our  own  rights,  that  may  really  be  so,  in  order  to  promote 
peace,  and  put  an  end  to  strife  that  is  injurious  to  the  gospel, 
and  that  can  minister  no  good  to  the  edifying  of  any.  Now, 
Abram,  the  greatest  Christian,  the  senior,  who  might  have 
exacted  all,  at  once  surrendered  and  gave  up  all,  and 
showed  at  once  the  finest  specimen  of  Christian  principle  and 
of  Christian  courtesy.  What  is  courtesy  ?  Just  our  giving 
up  our  own  right,  which  we  might  exact,  in  order  to  oblige  a 
brother,  and  giving  it  up,  let  us  recollect,  not  to  one  whom  we 
admire,  or  love,  or  think  deserves  such  a  sacrifice ;  but  giving 
it  up  to  one  whom  we  see  to  be  in  the  wrong,  and  who  we 
know  deserves  no  such  sacrifice  from  us :  foro!;ettino[;  and  mers;- 
ing  the  minor  feeling  in  the  great  result  of  doing  good,  and 
promoting  peace  among  mankind. 

Now,  mark  Lot's  conduct.  If  Lot  had  had  the  courtesy 
and  the  Christian  conduct  of  Abram ;  if  he  had  been  what  he 
ought  to  have  been,  he  would  have  been  moved  and  subdued, 
and  in  prostrate  himiility  have  sunk  to  the  earth  before 
Abram,  and  have  said,  "  This  is  too  much ;  I  did  not  expect 
it;"  but  he  did  not  even  thank  him,  so  rude  was  he  —  for 
Christianity  and  courtesy  are  related ;  he  did  not  give  up  the 
best  part  of  the  land,  so  grasping  was  he.  In  the  words  of 
the  chapter,  "  Lot  lifted  up  his  eyes,"  not  to  thank  Abram, 
not  in  thanks  to  God  for  giving  him  such  an  uncle  and  such 


110  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

a  friend ;  but  he  "  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  beheld  all  the  plain 
of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well  watered  everywhere,"  —  beautiful 
streams,  —  "  before  the  Lord  destroyed  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  like  the  land  of  Egypt,  as 
thou  comest  unto  Zoar.  Then  Lot  chose  him  all  the  plain  of 
Jordan ;  and  Lot  journeyed  east ;  and  they  separated  them- 
selves." '\ATiat  a  selfish,  unhol}^  uncourteous  trait  in  the  char- 
acter of  unhappy  Lot !  He  chose  the  plain  of  Jordan,  for  what 
reason  ?  Just  because  it  was  well  watered.  So  we  have  people 
who,  to  get  cheap  things,  would  sacrifice  truth,  and  love  and 
patriotism.  He  did  not  think,  Shall  I  there  have  an  opportunity 
of  building  an  altar  ?  Shall  I  come  into  contact  with  good 
people,  and  good  neighbors,  and  pious  friends,  and  a  faithful 
minister,  a  faithful  patriarch,  who  will  do  me  good,  and  my 
family  good,  and  make  us  holy  and  happy  together  ?  He  put 
aside  all  thoughts  about  the  main  thing ;  he  thought  only  of  the 
richest  soil,  the  best  trout  streams,  the  green  hedges,  and  the 
prospects  of  the  most  abundant  harvests;  and  was  actuated 
by  these  alone,  in  spite  of  clear  convictions  that  there  was  no 
fear  of  God  in  the  midst  of  the  land  where  these  were  ;  for 
it  is  added,  that  "  the  men  of  Sodom  were  wicked  and  sinners 
before  the  Lord  exceedingly,  —  a  remark  thrown  in  to  show 
that  Lot  knew  it  was  so.  In  the  face  of  all  that,  he  resolved 
to  pitch  his  tent  there.  Now,  these  patriarchal  men  were  just 
specimens  of  human  nature  in  one  phasis,  and  they  have  each 
his  exact  counterpart  in  human  nature  still.  A  man  selects  a 
house,  or  a  district  to  live  in,  and  he  is  never  at  the  trouble  to 
inquire,  Is  there  a  faithful  minister  near  it  ?  Are  there  good 
people  with  whom  I  should  like  to  be  associated  ?  But  the 
first  thing  that  he  looks  at  is  the  beautiful  garden,  and  its 
convenience  and  comfort ;  and  he  takes  it,  just  as  Lot  took 
the  laud,  because  it  is  fertile  and  well  watered,  not  because  he 
has  opportunities  of  making  himself  wiser,  and  happier,  and 
better.    I  do  not  say  Lot's  elements  should  not  be  entertained 


GENESIS   XIII.  Ill 

by  us,  but  they  should  not  be  supreme  and  guiding  in  all  our 
doings.  The  right  course  is  to  "  seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  his  righteousness  "  —  making  religion  the  main,  the 
guiding  thing ;  and  it  is  a  fact,  my  dear  friends,  just  as  cer- 
tain as  that  suns  rise  and  set,  if  you  do  so,  that  "  all  other 
things  shall  be  added."  It  is  a  law  that  all  things  illustrate,  that 
if  you  set  out  to  seek  the  world  in  order  to  gain  it,  you  may 
lose  it,  and  to  a  dead  certainty  you  will  lose  your  soul ;  but 
if  you  set  out  to  save  your  soul,  and  to  honor  God,  and  to  do 
his  will,  you  will  be  astonished  to  see  how  every  secondary 
thing  will  leap  into  its  place,  and  contribute  to  your  comfort. 
And  what  is  true  in  the  case  of  individuals,  is  true  in  the  case 
of  nations.  Let  nations  seek  first  to  do  what  is  God's  will, 
promote  his  glory,  maintain  his  cause,  and  God  will  prosper 
them.  Let  them  fight  against  him,  and  against  his  will  and 
his  cause,  and  God  will  not  honor  them.  "  Them  that  honor 
me,  I  will  honor,"  has  been  illustrated  from  Abram  and  Lot 
downward  to  the  present  hour. 

We  find,  in  the  next  place,  that  God,  even  then,  and  on 
earth,  honored  Abram  for  so  doing ;  for  the  Lord  appeared 
unto  Abram,  who  had  made  so  munificent  a  sacrifice,  and  said 
unto  him,  "  Lift  up  now  thine  eyes,  and  look  from  the  place 
where  thou  art,  northward,  and  southward,  and  eastward,  and 
westward ;  for  all  the  land  which  thou  seest,  to  thee  will  I 
give  it,  and  to  thy  seed  forever."  Abram  had  given  up 
his  temporal  right,  and  God  repeats  to  him  the  pledge  of  an 
eternal  inheritance.  He  surrendered  the  place  that  was  well 
watered  before  the  Lord,  and  God  instantly  comforts  him  by 
the  sure  pledge  and  prospect  of  a  better  land,  a  brighter  city, 
and  a  more  happy  rest.  And  he  says  also,  "  And  I  will  make 
thy  seed  as  the  dust  of  the  earth ;  so  that  if  a  man  can  num- 
ber the  dust  of  the  earth,  then  shall  thy  seed  also  be  num- 
bered." Now  we  believe  that  promise  remains  yet  to  be  ful- 
filled. The  Jew  has  a  right  to  Canaan,  and  Canaan  a  right 
10 


112  BCRIPTXJRE   READINGS. 

to  the  Jew;  and  that  the  strict  language  of  this  promise 
remains  yet  to  be  fulfilled.  I  cannot  think  that  after  God's 
using  the  words,  "  I  will  give  it  to  thy  seed  forever,"  we  are 
to  dilute  them.  God's  promises  rather  go  beyond  what  we 
conceive  than  come  short ;  and,  therefore,  we  believe  the  giv- 
ing it  to  his  seed  forever  denotes  that  God's  ancient  people 
will  be  reconstituted  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,  a  royal 
priesthood,  in  the  midst  of  their  own  land.  It  cannot  be 
surely  for  nothing  that  a  Jew's  heart  still  vibrates  to  Jerusa- 
lem as  the  needle  does  to  the  pole ;  that  his  magnetic  pole  is 
still  Jerusalem ;  and  that  Jerusalem  remains  in  the  hands  of  ^ 
many  people  and  of  many  tribes  ;  but  tribes  and  people  who 
are  at  war  with  themselves,  and  evidently  in  it  only  just  as  we 
put  people  in  an  empty  house  to  keep  it  till  the  inhabitant 
enters,  or  till  the  rightful  owner  takes  possession  of  it.  And, 
again,  the  investiture  is  here  given  to  Abram,  for  God  said, 
"  Arise,  walk  through  the  land  in  the  length  of  it  and  in  the 
breadth  of  it ;  for  I  will  give  it  unto  thee  ;  "  that  is,  he  gave 
him  the  investiture  of  it,  showed  it  to  him,  and  thus  assured 
him  that  it  was  so. 

What  a  beautiful  chapter,  now,  is  this  we  have  read! 
What  a  specimen  of  courtesy  in  Abraham's  conduct !  What  a 
proof  of  Christian  meekness !  What  evidence  that  when  the 
heart  is  right  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  life  will  be  all  courtesy 
in  reference  to  mankind ! 

If  we  be  Christ's,  we  are  also  Abraham's  children  and  heirs 
of  the  promises.  0  Lord,  our  heavenly  Father,  make  us  thy 
sons  by  adoption ;  and,  if  sons,  heirs  —  heirs  of  God,  and  joint 
heirs  with  Christ,  through  Jesus.  May  we  look  above  all 
carnal,  rational,  and  earthly  elements,  and  seek  communion 
with  thyself,  and  endeavor  to  see  and  estimate  all  as  thou 
dost.     Amen. 


CHAPTER    Xiy. 

4.NCIENT  KINGS  —  WAR  —  INVASION   OP  SODOM    AND   GOMOBRAH  —  THE 
ROMISH   MASS  —  JEWISH  TRANSLATION. 

Those  who  are  described  as  kings  of  different  nations,  were 
not  similar  to,  or  identified  with,  the  kings  of  modern  Euro- 
pean nations.  A  king  in  those  days  was  like  a  Highland  chief, 
or  an  Arab  sheik  —  the  head  of  a  clan,  or  band  of  followers, 
who  were  his  subjects,  and  more  than  subjects  —  earnest 
friends,  in  virtue  of  the  patriarchal  arrangement.  We  are 
informed  that  war  broke  out  among  these  nations  one  with 
another.  Strange  it  is,  that,  after  the  judgments  of  the  flood, 
God's  past  retributive  dealings  should  be  so  utterly  forgotten, 
and  man's  obligations  to  him  should  have  so  soon  passed 
away  from  their  minds,  as  to  have  left  them  at  war  with  each 
other.  But,  as  long  as  man  is  in  a  state  of  war  with  God, 
so  long  he  will  be  found  in  a  state  of  war  with  his  fellows ; 
and  the  only  way  to  put  an  end  to  war  in  modern  times,  just 
as  it  was  the  only  way  in  ancient  times,  is,  not  to  beat  the 
sword  into  the  ploughshare,  or  the  spear  into  the  pruning- 
hook  —  not  to  destroy  the  army,  or  to  burn  the  navy,  or  an- 
nihilate weapons  of  war ;  but  to  spread  those  divine  principles 
of  ti-uth  and  love,  and  joy,  which,  like  seeds  cast  into  a 
nation's  heart,  will  grow  up  into  harvests  of  lasting  and  real 
peace.  War  originated  in  the  ambition  of  princes,  and  in 
the  restlessness  of  the  people  ;  and  the  issue  of  it  was,  what 
it  always  is,  and  has  been,  where  not  warranted  —  disaster 
and  misery. 


114  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

We  read,  next,  of  the  invasion  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  we  gather  from  a  previous  chapter, 
were  two  prosperous  commercial  capitals.  You  recollect  that 
Lot  chose  the  plain  of  Sodom  because  it  was  well  watered, 
fruitful  in  its  soil,  numerous  streams  to  turn  the  busy  mill- 
wheels,  as  they  swept  onward  to  the  ocean ;  and  he  selected 
it,  not  on  account  of  its  religion,  but  its  commercial  advan- 
tages and  its  agricultural  value.  Those  kings  could  see  the 
same  advantages  that  Lot  saw ;  and  they  resolved  to  make 
war  upon  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  for  the  sake  of  the  precious 
spoils  that  they  contained.  We  find  that  Lot  was  in  the 
midst  of  Sodom.  He  chose  it,  in  spite  of  its  wickedness, 
because  of  its  riches ;  and  the  issue  of  a  choice,  made  in  the 
face  of  the  will  of  God,  was,  that  he  lost  his  religion  and  lost 
his  property  and  capital  together.  He  is  an  illustration  of 
that  maxim,  by  contrast,  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
his  righteousness,  and  all  other  things  shall  be  added."  Re- 
verse that,  —  seek  the  other  things  first,  and  the  kingdom  of 
God  next,  —  and  the  probability  is  that  you  will  lose  both. 
Lot  went  there  with  his  capital  to  make  more,  and  he  lost 
his  labor,  lost  his  property,  and,  in  addition,  grieved  and 
vexed  his  God,  and  became  a  captive  amid  the  heathen 
nations. 

Now,  mark  the  generosity  of  Abraham  on  this  occasion. 
Just  recollect  what  Lot  had  done  when  there  was  a  quarrel 
between  Abraham's  herdsmen  and  Lot's  herdsmen.  The 
senior,  that  is,  the  uncle,  Abraham,  who  might  have  made 
his  choice,  gave  way ;  and,  with  exquisite  courtesy,  as  well 
as  Christian  principle,  said  to  Lot,  "  Let  there  be  no  quarrel 
between  us  :  if  you  will  go  to  the  right,  I  will  go  to  the  left ; 
if  you  will  go  to  the  left,  I  will  go  to  the  right  —  take  your 
choice  :  only  let  us  have  peace,  at  the  sacrifice  of  any  prefer- 
ence, while  it  is  not  at  the  sacrifice  of  vital  principle."  Lot 
did  not  defer  to  Abraham  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  subdued 


GENESIS   XIV.  115 

by  his  great  kindness ;  but  he  instantly  snatched  at  the  ad- 
vantage, seized  the  offer,  turned  to  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
entered  into  this  capital,  because  the  plains  were  well  watered, 
and  the  place  was  prosperous  in  his  sight.  Abraham,  when  he 
heard  that  Lot  was  taken  captive,  might  have  said,  "He  made 
his  bed,  and  he  may  lie  in  it ;  he  took  the  choice,  and  he  must 
take  the  consequences  of  it ;  he  went  to  Sodom  against  what 
right  principle  dictated,  —  let  him  now  reap  the  bitter  fruits 
of  what  he  has  done."  That  was  man's  way,  but  that  was  not 
Abraham's  way ;  for  the  instant  he  heard  that  his  ungrateful 
nephew.  Lot,  was  taken  captive,  that  instant,  unsolicited  and 
forgetful  of  his  past  conduct,  he  determined,  at  all  hazards,  to 
rescue  him.  He  summoned  together  the  patriarchal  militia, 
according  to  his  own  taste,  and  in  his  own  way,  there  being 
then  no  opposition  or  other  parliamentary  obstruction,  and 
marched  three  hundred,  that  being  the  whole  force  he  could 
gather  together,  in  order  that  he  might  rescue  his  ungrateful 
nephew.  Lot,  from  the  hands  of  the  Canaanites,  and  those 
who  had  taken  him  captive.  Now,  some  would  say  that 
Abraham  ought  not  to  have  done  so ;  that  he  ought  to  have 
tried,  first,  diplomatic  arrangements  —  protocols  —  with  these 
Canaanite  nations ;  but  these  Canaanite  nations  would  have 
struck  first,  and  diplomatized  afterwards.  And  if  Abraham 
had  done  so,  he  would  have  lost  the  magnanimous  memorial 
that  he  has  left  in  the  sequel.  War  was  warranted  by  the 
circumstances;  it  was  in  one  sense  aggressive,  and  yet  in 
another  respect  it  was  justifiable.  Savages  had 'taken  his 
nephew,  and  he  was  bound  to  deal  with  those  savages  just  as 
one  would  deal  with  wild  beasts  —  do  the  best  he  could  to 
rescue  a  precious  life  from  their  fangs.  And  the  very  instincts 
of  nature,  instead  of  being  outraged,  all  concur  in  saying  that 
there  was  nothing  unjustifiable  or  improper  in  Abraham's 
snatching  the  means  that  were  within  his  reach,  and  rescuing 
his  nephew,  Lot,  who  had  been  taken  from  him. 
10^ 


116  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

"We  have  an  authority  and  message  from  God  himself,  jus- 
tifying, in  this  respect,  the  conduct  of  Abraham.  In  Isaiah 
we  read,  "Who  raised  up  the  righteous  man"  —  that  is, 
Abraham  —  "  from  the  east,  called  him  to  his  foot,  gave  the 
nations  before  him,  and  made  him  rule  over  kings  ?  He  gave 
them  as  the  dust  to  his  sword,  and  as  driven  stubble  to  his 
bow.  He  pursued  them,  and  passed  safely,  even  by  the  way 
that  he  had  not  gone  with  his  feet."  Thus,  by  the  mouth  of 
Isaiah,  God  justifies  the  conduct  of  Abraham  on  this  occasion. 
We  then  draw  this  inference,  that  all  war  is  not  essentially 
unchristian,  in  reference  to  nations,  when  their  privileges  are 
assailed  by  the  aggressor  on  the  one  hand,  or  their  blessings 
are  threatened  to  be  snatched  away  by  the  invader  on  the 
other  hand.  War  itself  is  deeply  to  be  deplored  —  generally, 
to  be  deprecated ;  it  is  the  fruit  of  sin ;  it  is  the  shame  of 
humanit}^  But  we  see  from  God's  word  that  there  are 
crises  when  a  nation  may  justly  arm  to  vindicate  its  rights 
that  are  trodden  down,  or  to  repel  the  foe  that  would  steal 
those  rights  or  privileges  from  its  possession.  Of  course,  such 
a  solemn  thing  as  war  needs  to  be  deeply  pondered ;  it  ought 
to  be  truly  justified  in  the  sight  of  God  as  well  as  in  the  sight 
of  man  ;  but  it  is  altogether  an  outrage,  I  think,  upon  common 
sense,  as  well  as  upon  the  word  of  God,  to  allege,  as  many  do 
allege,  that  it  is  impossible  to  be  a  Christian  and  yet  be  a 
soldier ;  and  that  no  Christian  ever  walks  the  quarter-deck. 
On  this  subject  there  is  a  fact  which  is  better  than  a  thousand 
arguments,  and  it  is  this  :  I  am  satisfied  that  as  warm  Chris- 
tian hearts  as  ever  beat  are  under  blue  jackets,  and  that  many 
of  our  most  pious  men  are  soldiers.  This  is  matter  of  fact, 
and  l)ciiig  matter  of  fact  it  confutes  the  statement,  that  a 
soldier  or  a  sailor  cannot  be  a  Christian.  There  are  in  these 
professions  Christian  men,  as  there  are  in  any  other  profes- 
bion  upon  earth  ;  and  if  war  be  bad  —  and  it  is  bad  in  itself, 
and  to  be  very  much  deplored  —  yet  I  very  much  doubt 


GENESIS   XIV.  117 

whether  there  may  not  be  worse  and  more  demoniacal  dis- 
putes carried  on  in  lawyers'  offices  than  are  settled  on  the 
battle-field  ;  the  mode  of  conflict  may  differ,  but  the  spirit  of 
it  may  be  worse  in  the  latter  case. 

Having  noticed  the  account  of  the  war  upon  Sodom,  and 
the  captivity  of  Lot,  I  call  your  attention  to  a  very  remarka- 
ble passage  in  this  chapter :  "And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem 
brought  forth  bread  and  wine  :  and  he  was  the  priest  of  the 
most  high  God.  And  he  blessed  him,  and  said.  Blessed  be 
Abram."  I  have  looked  into  three  well-known  translations 
of  the  word  of  God  last  week.  The  first  I  looked  into  is  the 
Douay  translation  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures ;  and  on 
examining  this  passage  in  the  Douay  translation,  which  is  a 
translation  from  a  translation  of  the  Latin  of  Jerome,  a  father 
who  translated  the  Scriptui-es  in  the  fourth  century,  and  which 
is  authorized  and  employed  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  I 
found  that  the  eighteenth  verse  was  thus  translated ;  and  I 
wish  you  to  notice  it :  "  And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem 
brought  forth  bread  and  wine :  for  he  was  the  priest  of  the 
most  high  God.  And  he  blessed  him,  and  said,  Blessed  be 
Abram ; "  and  then  the  note  given  in  the  index  on  this  chap- 
ter is  this :  "  Here  we  have  the  figure  and  the  type  of  the 
mass.  Melchizedek  being  a  high  priest,  did  a  priestly  act  in 
bringing  forth  bread  and  wine,  and  offering  up  the  bread  and 
wine  as  a  sacrifice  to  God."  Now,  in  our  translation  it  is, 
"  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem  brought  forth  bread  and  wine  : 
and  he  was  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God."  In  the  Douay 
translation  it  is  implied  that  the  bringing  forth  bread  and 
wine  was  a  priestly  act ;  in  our  translation  it  is  implied  that 
the  bringing  forth  bread  and  wine  was  a  hospitable  act  —  a 
refreshment  to  a  weary  and  way-worn  warrior.  Our  trans- 
lation is  justified  by  the  Hebrew  ;  the  Romish  is  not.  To  be 
certain,  I  purchased  a  new  translation,  recently  issued  under 
the  authority  of  the  chief  rabbi  of  the  synagogue  in  this  capi- 


118  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

tal.  This  translation  is  by  one  of  the  first  Hebrew  scholars 
of  the  day,  and  is  the  authorized  translation  of  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  and  used  now,  I  believe,  by  every  Jew.  I  must 
say  that  in  every  passage  that  I  have  read  it  justifies  our 
translation,  and  in  many  points  it  exceeds  our  translation  in 
beauty  and  in  accuracy.  In  this  passage  it  is  translated 
exactly  as  we  have  it :  "  And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem 
brought  forth  bread  and  wine  :  and  he  was  the  priest  of  the 
most  high  God,"  —  not  for.  If  it  had  been  /or,  it  would 
have  justified  the  Romish,  and  implied  that  the  bringing  forth 
the  bread  and  wine  was  a  priestly  act.  And  therefore  the 
Jew,  who  understands  his  own  language,  of  course,  better 
than  anybody  else,  justifies  our  translation.  I  give  you  an 
idea  of  the  beauty  of  this  translation,  and  its  value  as  a 
Jewish  one.  I  will  read  to  you  the  first  few  verses  of  Gen- 
esis, which  I  read  that  you  may  see  how  faithful  is  our  trans- 
lation, and  yet  how  very  beautiful  is  this.  "  In  the  beginning 
God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth.  But  the  earth  was 
desolate  and  void.  And  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the 
murmuring  deep  "  (that  is  most  accurate,  and  very  poetical). 
"And  the  Spirit  of  God"  —  a  capital  S  is  used  —  "and  the 
Spirit  of  God  was  hovering  upon  the  face  of  the  waters  ; "  — 
that  is  much  more  correct  than  our  translation.  It  implies 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  fluttering  like  a  dove,  as  I  told 
you  before,  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  The  Jewish  trans- 
lation is,  "  The  Spirit  of  God  was  hovering."  "  And  God 
said.  Let  there  be  light :  and  light  was.  And  God  saw  the 
light,  that  it  was  good  :  and  God  divided  the  light  from  the 
darkness.  And  God  called  the  light  Day,  and  the  darkness 
he  called  Night.  And  it  was  evening  and  morning,  one  day. 
And  God  said,  13e  there  an  expanse  in  the  midst  of  the  waters, 
and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from  the  waters.  And  God  made 
the  expanse,  and  divided  the  waters  which  were  under  the 
expanse  from  the  waters  which  were  above  the  expanse,  and 


GENESIS   XIV.  119 

it  was  so.  And  God  called  the  expanse  heaven.  And  it  was 
evening  and  morning,  a  second  day,"  or,  as  we  translate  it, 
"the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  second  day."  I  would 
just  wish  to  turn  yoiu'  attention  to  the  fourteenth  verse  of  the 
third  chapter,  where  you  will  see  that  our  traaslation  is  justi- 
fied by  this  one.  "And  the  woman  said,  The  serpent  beguiled 
me.  And  the  eternal  God  said  unto  the  serpent,  Because  thou 
hast  done  this,  thou  art  cursed  above  all  cattle,  and  above 
every  beast  of  the  field.  Upon  thy  belly  shalt  thou  go,  and 
dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life.  And  I  will  set 
enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed;  it"  —  the  seed,  not  the  woman,  —  "it  shall 
bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  It  is  thus 
that,  in  those  passages  where  disputes  have  arisen  about  the 
accuracy  of  our  version,  the  Jewish  translation  justifies  our 
own.  There  is  here  no  type,  or  hint,  or  prophecy  of  the  sac- 
rifice of  the  mass ;  and  I  may  give  another  reason  for  it, 
namely,  that  in  the  Latin  Vulgate,  from  which  that  transla- 
tion which  Jerome  made  is  taken,  the  Latin  translation  is, 
"  And  Melchizedek  king  of  Salem  protulit  panem  et  vinum." 
Now,  if  it  had  been  intended  to  convey  the  idea  or  type  of 
the  mass,  the  verb  would  have  been  difi"erent,  namely,  obtulit ; 
but  it  is  not.  It  is  panem  et  vinum  protulit^  which  means 
that  he  brought  forth  from  his  house  brea:d  and  wine,  the 
refreshment  to  the  weary  warrior  Abraham;  and  then  he  says, 
"  He  blessed  him.  Blessed  be  Abram  of  the  most  high  God." 
Our  translation,  with  all  its  faults,  is  the  nearest  possible  to 
a  miracle.  It  is  most  faithful;  and  not  the  least  decisive  proof 
that  it  is  so,  is  the  continuous  approximation  of  the  Bomish 
version  to  ours,  not  in  meaning  only,  but  also  in  words. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Abraham's  vision  —  his    doubt — his  descendants  —  sacrifice  — 

THE   patriarch's   DEEP   SLEEP APPARENT   CONTRADICTION. 

God  here  introduces  himself  to  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  and  his  own  obedient  and  believing  servant,  in  a 
vision.  Grod,  who  "  at  sundry  times,"  says  the  apostle,  in  the 
patriarchal,  the  Levitical,  and  prophetic  dispensations,  and  in 
"  divers  manners,"  by  dreams,  by  visions,  "  spake  to  our  fa- 
thers, hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  to  us  by  his  Son ;"  so 
that  we  are  to  look  for  God's  will,  manifested  to  us,  no  more 
in  visions,  or  in  dreams,  but  only  in  the  written  page  of  his 
own  holy  word.     It  is  final  and  complete. 

He  had  given  Abraham  the  promise  that  his  children 
should  be  countless  as  the  sands  by  the  sea-shore,  and  that  a 
great  and  illustrious  family  should  spring  from  him.  Abra- 
ham, not  doubting  the  fact,  but  not  seeing  how  that  fact 
could  come  to  pass,  hesitated  and  queried,  as  is  often  the  case 
with  us ;  for  we,  too,  believe  that  a  thing  will  be,  but  we 
stagger  because  we  cannot  see  how  the  thing  will  be,  whereas 
we  ought  to  feel,  what  Abraham  ought  to  have  felt,  —  for, 
believer  as  he  was,  he  was  not  a  perfect  believer,  —  that  the 
God  who  has  promised  the  result  will,  in  his  own  way,  in 
his  own  time,  and  by  his  own  instrument,  accomplish  that 
result. 

The  reason  that  made  him  ask  the  question.  How  ?  was, 
that  he  had  no  heir,  no  son  born  to  him,  and  there  was  only 
Eliezer  of  Damascus  whom  he  might  adopt,  and  thus,  through 
an  adopted  son,  and  not  from  his  own,  literally  might  spring 


GENESIS   XV.  121 

that  family  that  should  be  countless  as  the  sand  on  the  sea- 
shore and  the  stars  in  the  firmament.  This  word  Eliezer,  I 
pause  to  observe,  is  the  original  form  of  the  name  which  we 
call  Lazarus ;  and  I  do  think  that  in  the  beautiful  and 
instructive  parable  of  Lazarus  and  the  rich  man,  which  I 
have  elsewhere  explained,  there  is  something  like  an  allusion 
to  the  incident  and  the  name  recorded  in  this  chapter.  This 
Eliezer,  the  steward  in  Abraham's  house,  —  born  in  his  house 
—  not  an  imported  slave,  but  born  in  it,  —  was  an  especial 
favorite  with  the  patriarch,  raised  to  a  high  position,  exercised 
great  influence  in  his  household,  and  occupied  a  prominent 
place ;  and,  therefore,  there  may  have  been  an  under-current, 
if  I  may  use  the  phrase,  of  allusion  to  Eliezer  in  Abraham's 
house,  in  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  especially 
when  we  read  that  Lazarus  was  in  Abraham's  bosom  —  a  yet 
closer,  though  kindred  relation,  than  that  which  we  read 
Eliezer  or  Lazarus  occupied  as  steward  in  Abraham's  house. 
I  do  not  mean  that  it  proves  any  doctrinal  or  practical 
truth ;  all  it  shows  is  the  unity  of  holy  Scripture,  and  the 
authenticity  and  genuineness,  so  far  at  least,  of  its  records. 

God's  promise  to  Abraham  is  then  made  in  much  more 
explicit  terms  :  "  And  he  brought  him  forth  abroad,  and  said. 
Look  now  toward  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able 
to  number  them ;  and  he  said  unto  him,  So  shall  thy  seed  be." 
If  one  were  introduced  for  the  first  time,  in  a  frosty  night,  to 
a  starry  sky,  and  if  one  were  never  to  see  it  again,  I  think 
that  the  splendor  of  so  magnificent  and  majestic  a  vision 
would  never  be  forgotten.  I  know  nothing  more  beautiful, 
nothing  more  grand,  nothing  that  seems  to  set  forth  in  more 
bold  and  brilliant  colors  the  greatness,  and  the  majesty,  and 
the  providential  presence  of  Deity,  than  the  starry  sky,  when 
those  sentinel  stars  which  we  see,  and  which  are  but  the  out- 
posts of  the  vast  army  encamped  in  infinite  plains,  come  forth 
to  give  only  an  idea  of  the  yet  greater,  and  brighter,  and  more 


122  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

multitudinous  hosts  that  lie  and  repose  beyond,  waiting  for, 
and  ever  obedient  to,  God's  behests.  Abraham  was  now 
brought  forth,  and  bidden  to  gaze  upon  this  magnificent  and 
glorious  sky,  and  then  he  was  assured  that  those  stars  that  he 
saw  were  for  a  pledge  of  the  number  of  his  descendants. 
After  all,  the  number  of  stars  that  we  see  is  not  so  very 
great,  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  an  absurdity,  as  some  have 
alleged,  that  his  children  should  be  countless  as  the  stars. 
Probably  the  stars  in  the  firmament  are  the  nearest  in  ap- 
proach to  the  infinite  in  number,  because  we  cannot  conceive 
any  space  in  which  there  are  not  some  bodies,  and  some  cre- 
ated things ;  we  believe  that  there  are  no  empty  chambers  in 
the  universe  —  that  no  space  is  left  desolate ;  and  believing 
that,  the  stars  that  are  vastly  exceed  the  children  of  Abra- 
ham, but  the  stars  which  are  visible  to  the  naked  eye  do  not 
exceed  the  children  of  Abraham.  And,  after  all,  this  very 
promise  seems  only  to  be  gloriously  fulfilled  in  the  passage 
on  which  I  shall  comment  in  the  evening:  "  I  saw  a  great 
multitude  that  no  man  could  number  "  —  like  the  stars  in  the 
firmament  —  "  out  of  every  kindred,  and  people,  and  tongue." 
Abraham  believed  God,  and  God  counted  it  to  him  for 
righteousness.  We  have  a  reference  made  to  this  very  fact 
in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Komans,  at  the 
eighteenth  verse:  "  Who  against  hope  believed  in  hope,  that 
he  might  become  the  father  of  many  nations,  according  to 
to  that  which  was  spoken.  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  And  being 
not  weak  in  faith,  he  considered  not  his  own  body  now  dead, 
when  he  was  about  an  hundred  years  old,  neither  yet 
the  deadness  of  Sarah's  womb.  He  staggered  not  at  the 
promise  of  God  through  unbelief;  but  was  strong  in  faith, 
giving  glory  to  God;  and  being  fully  persuaded  that  what  he 
had  promised  he  was  able  also  to  perform.  And  therefore  it 
was  imputed  to  him  for  righteousness.  Now  it  was  not  writ- 
ten for  his  sake  alone  that  it  was  imputed  to  him ;  but  for  us 


GENESIS    XV.  123 

also,  to  whom  it  shall  be  imputed,  if  we  believe  on  him  that 
raised  up  Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead ;  who  was  delivered 
for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for  our  justification." 
Now,  I  do  not  think  that  it  is  meant  to  be  conveyed,  either  in 
this  passage  in  Genesis,  or  in  the  reference  to  it  in  the  epistle 
to  the  Romans,  that  Abraham's  belief  of  God's  promise  was 
the  righteousness  that  justified  Abraham  in  the  sight  of  God  ; 
for  we  read,  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  that  Abraham  was  a  Christian  long  before  this,  and 
therefore  previously  justified.  He  became  a  Christian  the 
moment  he  took  a  footstep  to  leave  Ur  of  the  Chaldees;  for 
it  was  by  faith  that  he  left  it,  looking  for  a  city  that  hath 
foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.  I  believe, 
therefore,  that  this  righteousness  counted  unto  Abraham  was 
an  isolated  and  very  special  and  prominent  act  in  Abraham's 
biography,  and  that  the  apostle's  comparison  is  not  between 
Abraham's  ground  of  justification  and  the  Christian's  ;  but 
what  he  says  seems  to  me  to  teach,  that  just  as  Abraham, 
without  anything  but  God's  word,  believed  that  word,  and 
expected  the  result  would  be  what  God  said,  so  a  Christian, 
with  nothing  but  God's  word,  believes  that,  resting  upon 
Jesus,  we  shall  be  saved,  —  in  other  words,  believes  on 
Christ,  and  is  sure  that  he  will  be  saved.  The  faith  that 
Abraham  exercised  in  this  instance  is  a  perfect  fac  simile 
illustration,  or  counterpart  of  the  faith  that  we  exercise  in  a 
yet  higher  matter,  if  possible,  and  in  reference  to  an  ulterior 
and  yet  more  glorious  destiny. 

Abraham  also  asked  the  question,  "  Whereby  shall  I  know 
that  I  shall  inherit  it?  "  At  first  this  looks  like  impertinent 
curiosity ;  and  yet  it  was  not  so.  Some  questions  are  imper- 
tinent, as  was  the  question  of  Zacharias,  in  Luke  1:  18: 
"And  Zacharias  said  unto  the  angel,  Whereby  shall  I  know 
this  ?  for  I  am  an  old  man,  and  my  wife  well  stricken  in 
years,"  — when  he  was  struck  dumb.  Another  of  an  oppo- 
11 


12-4  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

site  character,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  in  Luke 
1  :  34  :  "  How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man  ? " 
which  was  a  question  of  a  perfectly  pertinent  nature,  and 
which  was  accordingly  answered.  Again,  Peter's  question, 
"What  shall  this  man  do  ?  "  was  impertinent,  and  therefore 
the  answer  was,  ""What  is  that  to  thee?  follow  thou  me." 
Therefore  we  are  not  to  look  at  this  question  of  Abraham's  as 
the  expression  of  weakness  of  faith,  but  as  the  expression  of 
curiosity,  which  in  some  cases  may  be  sinful,  but  in  others 
perfectly  right  in  the  sight  of  God ;  and,  in  his  case,  it  was 
evidently  proper. 

God  then  convinces  Abraham,  or,  rather,  makes  more 
impressive  his  promise,  by  a  sacrifice.  The  ancient  mode  of 
confirming  a  promise  was  to  slay  an  ox,  and  to  divide  it 
across  the  spine,  and  the  persons  then  passed  between  the 
halves  of'  the  victim,  and  made  their  covenant  in  the  middle 
of  them ;  and  the  meaning  of  it  was,  that  if  they  failed  in 
keeping  their  covenant,  they  imprecated  from  their  God  utter 
destruction,  in  the  same  manner  as  that  animal  had  been 
destroyed.  This  was  used  on  this  occasion  to  show  that  all 
truth  comes  through  sacrifice,  that  all  God's  promises  hav>. 
reference  to  the  one  grand  sacrifice.  And  more  vividly  to 
impress  upon  his  heart  the  act,  and  the  certainty  of  what  God 
would  do,  God  confirms  his  covenant  by  a  promise  and  an 
oath,  not  because  it  needed  it,  but  because  we  need  it,  in 
order  to  be  more  confident  and  assured. 

We  next  see  that  the  impressive  sign  passed  before  Abra- 
ham, indicative  of  the  presence  of  God.  Abraham  was  over- 
powered and  deeply  impressed  by  it.  "  It  came  to  pass, 
that  when  the  sun  went  down,  and  it  was  dark,  behold  a 
smoking  furnace,  and  a  burning  lamp  that  passed  between 
those  pieces ;  "  and  also  it  is  stated  in  the  twelfth  verse, 
*•  And  when  the  sun  was  going  down,  a  deep  sleep  fell  upon 
Abram  ;  and  lo,  an  horror  of  great  darkness  fell  upon  him." 


GENESIS    XV,  125 

As  m  the  case  of  Job  (42:  5,  6),  when  God  passed  by;  as  in 
the  case  of  the  apostle  Peter,  when  Jesus  wrought  a  special 
miracle ;  as  in  the  case  of  Isaiah  (Is.  6),  of  Daniel  (Dan. 
10  :  8),  and  of  John,  in  the  Apocalypse,  the  sight  of  Deity 
producing  such  overpowering  impressions. 

The  only  difficulty  in  this  chapter  is  where  it  is  said  that 
they  "  shall  be  a  stranger  in  a  land  that  is  not  theirs,  and 
shall  serve  them ;  and  they  shall  afflict  them  four  hundred 
years."  Now  it  is  stated  in  the  book  of  Exodus,  that  this 
period  should  be  four  hundred  and  thirty  years ;  and  there- 
fore it  looks  as  if  one  prophecy  contradicted  the  other,  and 
as  if  both  could  not  be  true.  But  the  answer  to  that  is,  — 
and  it  is  perfectly  clear,  —  if  you  calculate  the  period  from 
Isaac's  birth,  it  is  exactly  four  hundred  years ;  if  you  calcu- 
late the  period,  as  is  here  done,  from  Abraham's  departure 
from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  it  is  exactly  four  hundred  and  thirty 
years.  In  the  one  book  it  is  calculated  from  the  birth  of 
Isaac,  and  in  the  other  from  the  exodus  of  Abraham.  By 
looking  at  the  different  points  from  which  each  of  the  writers 
dates,  we  see  that  there  is  perfect  harmony  between  the 
two  prophecies,  and  that  these  incidental  apparent  discrepan- 
cies are  only  stronger  proofs  of  the  truth  of  the  historians  who 
gave  the  accounts. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

PATRIARCHAL   SLAVES SARAl's    ADVICE    TO   ABRAHAM  —  HER    QUAR- 
RELLING  WITH   ITS    CONSEQUENCES HAGAR    IX   THE    DESERT  —  THE 

ANGEL   OF   THE   LORD  —  ISHMAEL  —  THE  ARABS    OF   THE   DESERT. 

It  shoAYS  how  far  the  influence  of  facts  has  extended  down 
the  ages,  when  we  recollect  that  the  name  Ha  gar  is  derived 
from  the  same  word ;  and,  indeed,  is  the  origin  of  the  name 
Hegira,  from  which  the  Mahometans  calculate  their  chronol- 
ogy. Hagar  means  "  flight,"  and  Hegira,  so  called  because 
the  date  of  the  flight  of  Mahomet  is  to  the  Mahometan,  for 
all  chronological  purposes,  what  the  birth  of  Christ  is  to  the 
Christian  world. 

Hagar,  it  is  plain  from  the  record  before  us,  was  an  Egyp- 
tian slave,  and  a  slave  born  in  the  house.  Slavery  did  then 
exist.  At  the  same  time,  it  ought  to  be  known  that  slavery 
in  those  days  had  intermingled  with  it  many  beautiful  traits, 
and,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  it  was  practised,  was 
certainly  far  more  justifiable,  as  it  was  far  more  tolerable, 
than  it  can  possibly  be  made  in  any  recent  times.  The  slaves 
of  the  patriarchs  were,  next  to  the  children  of  the  patriarchs, 
beloved  and  treated  with  attention  and  respect,  rather  than 
as  chattels  and  as  goods,  as  they  have  been  where  slavery  has 
existed  in  subsequent  times. 

We  sec  here  one  of  the  earliest  instances  of  the  practice  of 
pol3'gamy,  and  the  results  of  it  certainly  are  not  calculated  to 
sliow  that  it  is,  or  can  be,  a  blessing.  Sarai  believed  God's 
promise   that  a  child   should   spring  from   Abraham    which 


GENESIS    XVI.  127 

should  be  in  the  lineage  and  family  of  Him  who  was  to  be  a 
light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  his  people 
Israel ;  but  Sarai  then,  just  like  ourselves  now,  confounded 
God's  promise  with  God's  precepts  —  a  very  frequent  confu- 
sion in  modern  times ;  not  a  very  just  but  very  frequent  con- 
fusion. God  has  given  a  promise  that  this  shall  be  so,  and 
foolishly  and  unwarrantably  we  set  ourselves  to  fulfil  it,  and 
in  trying  to  fulfil  God's  promises,  with  which  we  have  no 
business,  we  forget  God's  precepts,  which  are  the  declarations 
of  the  duties  that  absolutely  devolve  upon  us.  Now,  here, 
Sarai,  under  the  idea  that  she  was  honoring  God,  and  helping 
God  to  fulfil  a  promise,  forgot  express  precepts,  or  at  least 
subordinated  real  and  great  duties  to  supposed  ones,  and  vio- 
lated a  plain  conunandment,  in  order,  as  she  thought,  to  help 
God  to  carry  out  one  of  his  ancient  promises.  We  should 
never  forget  that  when  God  gives  a  promise,  it  is  his  prerog- 
ative to  fulfil  it.  We  need  not  trouble  ourselves  about  the 
fulfilment  of  what  God  has  promised,  or  prophesied,  or  pre- 
dicted, —  to  attend  to  them  is  his  own  great  prerogative. 
What  he  asks  us  to  be  anxious  to  carry  out,  are  his  plain 
and  obvious  precepts.  But  such  is  the  tendency,  the  corrup- 
tion of  man,  that  he  likes  to  put  the  precept  into  the  back- 
ground, because  it  is  contrary  to  flesh  and  blood  to  obey  it, 
and  he  professes  to  help  God  to  carry  out  his  promises,  be- 
cause that  gratifies  his  own  conceit,  and  gives  him  a  moment- 
ary excuse  for  palpable  disobedience  to  a  plain  and  obvious 
requirement. 

Abraham,  therefore,  married  Hagar;  for  she  was  his 
wife,  —  a  secondary  wdfe,  I  admit,  but  still  legally  a  wife,  not 
a  concubine,  —  that  is,  by  the  laws  and  usages  of  those  days, 
his  wife.     It  was  not  adultery,  but  polygamy. 

Sarai,  having  given  this  bad  advice,  which  she  ought  not 
to  have  given,  was  the  very  first  to  quarrel  with  the  results 
that  her  own  advice  had  precipitated.  In  fact,  Sarai  seemsv 
11# 


128  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

throughout  the  whole  of  this,  to  have  acted  as  a  peevish,  dis- 
appointed, passionate,  irritable  woman.  Although  it  was  she 
who  gave  the  prescription,  yet  she  was  the  very  first  to  find 
fault  with  the  issue  of  that  prescription.  How  truly  does  the 
gi-eat  ground-work  of  human  nature,  —  the  primeval  granite, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  —  emerge  in  every  age  and  century,  and 
show  that  from  Adam's  days  down  to  the  present  hour,  poor 
man  is  the  same  in  all  the  essential  characteristics  and  feat- 
ures of  his  nature  !  The  language  she  employed  was  most 
unjustifiable  :  "  My  wrong  be  upon  thee;  "  she  imprecated  a 
malediction  upon  her  husband,  and  then  she  said,  "  I  have 
given  my  maid  into  thy  bosom  ;  and  when  she  saw  that  she 
had  conceived,  I  was  despised  in  her  eyes," —  the  natural 
result ;  —  "  the  Lord  judge  between  me  and  thee."  But 
Abraham,  who  seems  to  have  been  in  constitutional  temper 
highly  amiable,  and,  through  grace,  truly  unselfish,  as  we  have 
seen  in  his  dealings  with  Lot,  had  learned  in  patriarchal 
times  the  lesson  that  a  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath.  No 
one  has  ever  yet  fully  felt  the  overwhelming  eloquence  of  a 
soft  answer  to  an  irritated  opponent.  If  you  retaliate  in  the 
same  terms  with  which  you  are  assailed,  you  not  only  do  what 
is  unchristian,  but  you  exasperate  the  passions  which  you 
ought,  or  wish,  to  try  to  allay;  but  when  the  passionate  per- 
son hears  in  your  answers,  not  "  reviling  for  reviling,"  but  a 
mild,  and  gentle,  and  Christian  remark,  it  acts  like  oil  upon 
the  troubled  waters  —  his  passions  are  laid,  and  he  is 
ashamed  as  well  as  subdued.  Abraham,  therefore,  said  to 
Sarai,  in  his  own  mild  and  forbearing  way,  "Behold,  the 
maid  is  in  thy  hand ;  do  to  her  as  it  pleaseth  thee ;  "  just  as 
he  said  to  Lot.  And  when  Sarai  dealt  "  hardly  with  her,  she 
fled  from  her  face." 

Such  were  the  results  of  polygamy  in  the  first  instance  in 
which  we  read  of  it  —  suffered,  we  are  told  by  our  Saviour, 
on  account  of  the  hardness  of  the  human  heart:    for,  be  it 


GENESIS   XVI.  129 

remembered,  there  are  many  faults  recorded  in  the  Scriptures 
that  are  not  to  be  construed  by  us,  or  proposed  by  God,  as 
precedents  for  the  present ;  yet  how  often  do  we  find  that  the 
unsanctified  man, -when  he  reads  the  Old  Testament,  picks  out 
the  flaws  and  defects,  the  infirmities  and  the  sins  of  the  patri- 
archs, and  tries  to  justify  his  own  sins  by  the  light  of  these  ! 
He  quotes,  not  Abraham's  excellences,  so  many  and  so  beauti- 
ful, but  Abraham's  defects,  few  and  far  between,  but  real,  as 
precedents  or  apologies  for  his  sins.  Our  blessed  Lord  has 
told  us  that  this  was  sufiered,  but  not  applauded,  and  that  the 
original  law  of  marriage  is,  one  man  and  one  woman ;  and 
the  numerical  balance  of  the  human  family  shows  that  it 
ought  to  be  so ;  the  express  word  of  God  declares  that  it 
must  be  so ;  and  in  Mahometan  and  other  countries,  where 
this  great  primal  and  divine  law  is  violated,  one  has  only  to 
read  their  every-day  history,  and  to  watch  their  physical  and 
national  decline,  to  see  how  pernicious  and  destructive  it  is. 
The  result  of  it  in  this  instance  was,  that  Sarai,  after  being 
betrayed  into  a  culpable  expedient,  was  next  betrayed  into 
expressions  of  impiety,  next  into  undutifuhiess  to  Abraham, 
and,  lastly,  into  cruelty  to  Hagar ;  and  no  doubt  these  facts 
are  recorded  to  show  us  that  polygamy,  in  the  first  instance 
that  it  occurred,  instead  of  being  a  blessing,  was  a  curse  to 
that  family,  and  that  such  it  will  ever  be  found  to  be,  wher- 
ever it  has  had  its  advocates  or  its  subjects. 

We  next  read  that  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to 
Hagar,  when  she  was  driven  forth, by  her  mistress  into  the 
wilderness.  I  may  mention  that  this  expression,  "  angel  of 
the  Lord,"  occurs  very  frequently  in  the  Old  Testament. 
It  is,  literally  translated  from  the  Hebrew,  "Angel  Jehovah," 
or,  "  sent  Jehovah ;  "  and  when  we  recollect  what  Jesus  said, 
"  God  hath  sent  his  only  begotten  Son,"  and  what  is  predi- 
cated of  this  angel,  the  inference  is,  that  this  angel  of  the 
Lord  was  none  other  than  our  blessed  Lord,  in  the  language 


130  SCRlPTtKi:    KKADINGS. 

of  theologians  in  his  anthropomorphic  appearance,  that  is,  in 
some  created  form,  before  he  was  made  man.  Now  that  this 
being  was  greater  than  a  created  angel,  is  plain  from  what  he 
said  to  Hagar  in  the  ninth  verse :  "  And  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  said  unto  her,  Return  to  thy  mistress,  and  submit  thy- 
self under  her  hands;  "  and  in  the  tenth  verse :  "And  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  her,  I  will  multiply  thy  seed 
exceedingly,  that  it  shall  not  be  numbered  for  multitude,"  — 
the  very  language  applied  to  Abraham  by  God.  "  And  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  her,  Behold,  thou  art  with  child, 
and  shalt  bear  a  son,  and  shalt  call  his  namelshmael,  because 
the  Lord  hath  heard  thy  affliction."  That  this  angel,  there- 
fore, was  not  a  created  being,  but  the  uncreated  Jehovah, 
appears  to  me  plain.  He  requires  her  to  return  to  her  mis- 
tress, from  whom  she  had  escaped  without  warrant,  which 
was  her  duty ;  and  then  he  predicted  the  character  of  that 
son  that  shall  be  born  to  her  —  that  he  should  be,  literally 
translated,  "  a  wild  ass  man,"  like  the  wild  ass  of  the  desert, 
untamed  and  untamable.  We  have  a  picture  of  this  animal 
in  Job  39  :  5  :  "  Who  hath  sent  out  the  wild  ass  free  ?  or 
who  hath  loosed  the  bands  of  the  wild  ass  ?  whose  house  I 
have  made  the  wilderness,  and  the  barren  land  his  dwelling. 
He  scorneth  the  multitude  of  the  city,  neither  regardeth  he 
the  crying  of  the  driver.  The  range  of  the  mountains  is  his 
pasture,  and  he  searcheth  after  every  green  thing ;  "  that  is, 
a  wild,  untamed  and  untamable  animal. 

The  prediction  respecting  Ishmael  is,  that  he  should  be 
like  the  wild  ass  described  by  Job,  untamed,  untamable,  liv- 
ing in  the  desert;  that  his  hand  should  be  against  every  man, 
and  every  man's  hand  against  him.  The  Bedouins  of  the 
desert,  or  the  Arabs,  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  Ishmael, 
and  you  have  only  to  read  their  history,  a  short  sketch  of 
which  I  have  now  before  me,  to  see  how  this  prediction  has 
been  fulfilled.     It  is  here  stated  that  "  the  maimers  and  cus- 


GENESIS  xvr.  131 

toms  of  these  Arab  tribes,  except  in  the  article  of  religion, 
have  suffered  almost  no  change  during  the  long  period  of 
three  thousand  years.  They  have  occupied  the  same  country, 
und  followed  the  same  mode  of  life,  from  the  days  of  their 
great  ancestor  down  to  the  present  times,  and  range  the  wide 
extent  of  burning  sands  which  separate  them  from  all  sur- 
rounding nations,  as  rude,  and  savage,  and  untractable  as  the 
wild  ass  himself.  Claiming  the  barren  plains  of  Arabia  as 
the  patrimonial  domain  assigned  by  God  to  the  founder  of 
their  nation,  they  consider  themselves  entitled  to  seize  and 
appropriate  to  their  own  use  whatever  they  can  find  there. 
Impatient  of  restraint,  and  jealous  of  their  liberty,  they  form 
no  connection  with  the  neighboring  states ;  they  admit  of  lit- 
tle or  no  friendly  intercourse,  but  live  in  a  state  of  continual 
hostility  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  tent  is  their  dwell- 
ing, and  the  circular  camp  their  city ;  the  spontaneous  pro- 
duce of  the  soil,  to  which  they  sometimes  add  a  little  patch 
of  corn,  furnishes  them  with  means  of  subsistence,  amply  suf- 
ficient for  their  moderate  desires ;  and  the  liberty  of  ranging 
at  pleasure  their  interminable  wilds,  fully  compensates,  in 
their  opinion,  for  the  want  of  all  other  accommodations. 
Mounted  on  their  favorite  horses,  they  scour  the  waste  in 
search  of  plunder,  with  a  velocity  surpassed  only  by  the  wild 
ass.  They  levy  contributions  on  every  person  that  happens 
to  fall  in  their  way ;  and  frequently  rob  their  own  countr}'- 
men  with  as  little  ceremony  as  they  do  a  stranger  or  an  ene- 
my; their  hand  is  still  against  every  man,  and  every  man's 
hand  against  them.  But  they  do  not  always  confine  their 
predatory  excursions  to  the  desert.  When  booty  is  scarce  at 
home,  they  make  incursions  into  the  territories  of  their  neigh- 
bors; and,  having  robbed  the  solitary  traveller,  or  plundered 
the  caravan,  immediately  retire  into  the  deserts,  far  beyond 
the  reach  of  their  pursuers.  In  spite  of  all  their  enemies 
can  do  to  restrain  them,  they  continue  to  dwell  in  the  pres- 


132  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

ence  of  all  their  brethren,  and  to  assert  their  right  to  insult 
and  plunder  every  one  they  meet  with  on  the  borders  or 
within  the  limits  of  their  domains.  Even  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  epithet  '  wild,'  there  is  no  people  to  whom  it  can 
be  applied  with  more  propriety  than  to  the  Arabs,  whether 
used  in  reference  to  their  character,  modes  of  life,  or  place 
of  habitation.  We  have  seen  something  of  Arabs  and  their 
life,  and  always  felt  the  word  wild  to  be  precisely  that  by 
which  Ave  should  choose  to  characterize  them.  Their  chosen 
dwelling-place  is  the  inhospitable  desert,  which  oflfers  no 
attractions  to  any  other  eyes  but  theirs,  but  which  is  all  the 
dearer  to  them  for  that  very  desolation,  inasmuch  as  it  secures 
to  them  that  independence  and  unfettered  liberty  of  action 
which  constitute  the  charm  of  their  existence,  and  which  ren- 
der the  minute  boundaries  and  demarcatj^pns  of  settled  dis- 
tricts, and  the  restraints  and  limitations  of  towns  and  cities, 
perfectly  hateful  in  their  sight.  The  simplicity  of  their  tented 
habitations,  their  dress  and  their  diet,  which  form  so  perfect 
a  picture  of  primitive  usages,  as  described  by  the  sacred 
writers,  we  can  also  characterize  by  no  more  fitting  epithet 
than  '  wild ; '  and  that  epithet  claims  a  still  more  definite 
application,  when  we  come  to  examine  their  continual  wan- 
derings with  their  flocks  and  herds,  their  constant  readiness 
for  action,  and  their  frequent  predatory  and  aggressive  excur- 
sions against  strangers,  or  against  each  other.  Plunder,  in 
fact,  forms  their  principal  occupation,  and  takes  the  chief 
place  in  their  thoughts ;  and  their  aggressions  upon  settled 
districts,  upon  travellers,  and  even  upon  other  tribes  of  their 
own  people,  are  undertaken  and  prosecuted  with  a  feeling 
that  they  have  a  right  to  what  they  seek,  and  therefore  with- 
out the  least  sense  of  guilt  or  degradation.  Indeed,  the  char- 
actor  of  a  successful  and  enterprising  robber  invests  a  Bedouin 
\\\\\\  as  high  a  distinction,  in  his  own  eyes,  and  in  the  eyes  of 


GENESIS   XVI.  133 

his  people,  as  the  most  daring  and  chivalrous  acts  could  win 
among  the  nations  of  Europe. 

"  The  operation  of  this  principle  would  alone  sufl&ce  to  verify 
the  prediction  of  the  text.  But,  besides  this,  causes  of  va- 
riance are  continually  arising  between  the  different  tribes. 
Burckhardt  assures  us  that  there  are  few  tribes  which  are 
ever  in  a  state  of  perfect  peace  with  all  their  neighbors ;  and 
adds,  that  he  could  not  recollect  this  to  be  the  case  with  any 
one  among  the  numerous  tribes  with  which  he  was  acquainted. 
Such  wars,  however,  are  seldom  of  long  duration.  Peace  is 
easily  made,  but  broken  again  upon  the  slightest  pretence. 
The  original  word  for  dwell  ('^iri  shakan)  properly  signifies 
*  to  dwell  in  tents,'  or  '  to  tabernacle,'  whence  a  portion  of 
the  Arab  tribes  are  denominated  Scenites,  •  tent  dwellers,* 
answering  to  the  modern  Bedouins,  in  opposition  to  those  who 
inhabit  cities.  The  meaning  undoubtedly  is,  that  he  (that  is, 
his  descendants)  shall  pitch  his  tents  near  to,  and  in  sight 
of,  his  brethren,  and  shall  maintain  his  independence  in  spite 
of  all  attempts  to  conquer  or  dispossess  him.  There  is  some 
doubt  as  to  the  latitude  in  which  the  term  '  brethren  '  is  here 
to  be  understood,  some  taking  it  in  a  more  restricted  sense 
for  the  other  descendants  of  Abraham,  namely,  the  Israelites, 
Midianites,  Edomites,  &c. ;  while  others,  as  all  mankind  are 
brethren  in  a  larger  sense,  consider  it  as  equivalent  to  saying 
that  the  race  of  Ishmael  should  still  subsist,  notwithstanding 
the  universal  enmity  of  all  nations,  as  an  independent  people 
in  the  face  of  the  whole  world.  From  the  general  tenor  of 
scriptural  usage,  we  think  the  former  the  most  probable  in- 
terpretation. It  is  unquestionable,  as  an  historical  fact,  that 
they  have  ever  been  mainly  surrounded  by  the  above  nations, 
or  their  posterity ;  and  nothing  is  more  notorious  than  that 
they  have  never  been  effectually  subdued.  Although  con- 
tinually annoying  the  adjacent  countries  with  their  robberies 
and  incursions,  yet  all  attempts  made  to  extirpate  them  have 


134  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

been  abortive  ;  and  even  to  this  day  travellers  are  forced  to 
go  armed,  and  in  caravans  or  large  companies,  and  to  march 
and  keep  watch  like  a  little  army,  to  defend  themselves  from 
the  assaults  of  these  roving  freebooters  of  the  desert.  These 
robberies  they  justify,  according  to  Mr.  Sale  (Prelim.  Dissert, 
to  the  Koran),  by  alleging  the  hard  usage  of  their  father 
Ibhmael,  who,  being  turned  out  of  doors  by  Abraham,  had 
the  open  plains  and  deserts  given  him  by  God  for  his  patri- 
mony, with  permission  to  take  whatever  he  could  find  there. 
On  this  account,  they  think  they  may,  with  a  safe  conscience, 
indemnify  themselves  as  well  as  they  can,  not  only  on  the  pos- 
terity of  Isaac,  but  on  every  one  else ;  and,  in  relating  their 
adventures  of  this  kind,  deem  themselves  warranted,  instead 
of  saying,  '  I  robbed  a  man  of  such  a  thing,'  to  say,  '  I 
gained  it.'  Indeed,  from  a  view  of  the  character  and  history 
of  this  remarkable  people,  during  a  period  of  four  thousand 
years,  as  compared  with  this  prediction,  we  may  say,  with 
Dr.  A.  Clarke,  that  '  it  furnishes  an  absolute  demonstrative 
argument  of  the  divine  origin  of  the  Pentateuch.  To  at- 
tempt its  refutation,  in  the  sight  of  reason  and  common  sense, 
would  convict  of  most  ridiculous  presumption  and  excessive 
folly.'" 

Now,  is  it  possible  to  suppose  that,  if  Moses  were  au  unin- 
spired writer,  he  could  have  made  so  lucky  a  guess  ?  Is  it 
possible  that  he  could  have  given  a  minute  description  of  an 
event  a  thousand  years  remote,  which  should  be  fulfilled,  not  in 
the  mass,  but  literally,  strictly  verbatim  fulfilled  ?  It  is  a  fact, 
at  this  day,  that  the  wilderness  is  the  dwelling-place  of  the 
descendants  of  Ishmael.  They  do  not,  like  other  races,  form 
cities.  The  Arab  of  to-day  is  the  same  that  he  has  been  for 
three  thousand  years.  He  will  not  be  associated  with  civ- 
ilization ;  he  will  not  accept  the  offers  that  are  given  by  his 
brethren  ;  he  will  not  leave  his  patriarchal  desert ;  he  has 
literally  his  hand  against  every  man,  because  he  lives  by 


GENESIS   XVI.  135 

spoil,  and  every  man's  hand  against  him,  because  his  exter- 
mination is  the  only  safety  of  contiguous  society ;  he  is  the 
"  wild  ass  man,"  living  in  the  desert,  upon  the  scanty  pas- 
turage, and  yet  satisfied.  What  proofs  do  modern  facts  give 
that  holy  men  of  old  wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy 
Ghost ! 

12 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

god's   appearance  to   abbam  —  Abraham's  idea   of   ishmael  — 

the    covenant  worship change    of    name  abraham's 

.    royal  descendants  abraham's  joy. 

It  appears  that  this  vision  of  God  to  Abrara,  proclaiming 
hiriiself  "  the  Lord,  the  all-sufficient  One,"  occurred  about 
thirteen  years  after  the  birth  of  Ishmael,  and  when  Ishmael 
must  have  been,  therefore,  about  thirteen  years  old.  It  would 
seem  that  by  this  time  Abraham  had  settled  down  into  the 
absolute  conviction  that  Ishmael  was  really  the  promised 
seed ;  and  that,  through  him  and  in  him,  as  the  progenitor  of 
the  Messiah,  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  ultimately 
blessed.  He  did  not  expect  that  any  other  son  would  be  born 
to  him ;  and,  therefore,  he  believed  that  God  would  fulfil  his 
promise  made  to  him  of  old  in  and  by  Ishmael,  and  by  him 
only.  At  this  very  time,  however,  God  appears  to  Abram, 
and  makes  to  pass  before  the  eyes  of  the  patriarch  another 
vision,  and  indicates,  at  the  same  time,  the  birth  of  that  son 
in  whom  and  through  whom  the  promises  should  be  fulfilled. 

The  expression  in  the  second  verse,  "  I  will  make  my  cov- 
enant between  me  and  thee,"  might  be  translated  rather,  "  I 
will y?^  my  covenant  between  me  and  thee;"  for,  in  truth, 
this  is  the  fifth  time  in  which  God  had  given  a  promise  of 
this  covenant.  It  was,  therefore,  not  the  creation,  on  this 
occasion,  of  a  new  covenant  that  had  not  been  revealed,  but 
the  fixture  of  a  former,  or  the  assurance  of  Abram  of  the 
absolute  certainty  of  the  economy  of  that  covenant  which 
God  had  revealed  to  him  on  a  previous  occasion. 


GENESIS   XVII.  137 

When  God  thus  appeared  to  Abrani,  Abram  fell  upon  his 
face  before  him.  All  visions  of  God  manifested  in  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures  seem  to  have  produced  upon  the  specta- 
tor of  the  vision  this  deep  and  solemn  impression ;  and  only 
did  Moses  escape,  apparently,  this  subduing  influence  when 
he  was  "  hid  in  the  rock,"  and  all  God's  glory  passed  before 
him,  and  God  proclaimed  himself  "  the  Lord  God,  merciful 
and  gracious."  The  falling  on  the  face  was  falling  on  the 
knees  and  the  two  hands ;  it  was  the  position  of  absolute 
prostration  —  adoring  worship,  homage,  or  reverence  of  God. 

When  he  did  so,  God  condescended  to  talk  with  Abram  — 
"  God  talked  with  Abram."  He  was  called  the  friend  of 
God,  and  as  such  God  talked  with  him,  we  are  told —  as  a 
friend  speaks  to  a  friend. 

He  told  him  on  this  occasion,  in  the  fifth  verse,  that  his 
name  should  be  changed.  The  original  composition  of  his 
name  was,  «3,  father ;  and  ram,  high  or  eminent.  The  first 
syllable  of  the  word  hamo7i,  which  means  a  multitude,  seems 
to  have  been  incorporated  into  the  original  name,  and  to  have 
produced  the  word  Abraham  —  that  is,  Abram-hamon,  by 
contraction  reduced  into  Abraham.  The  old  name  was  "  high 
father  ;  "  the  other  and  new  name  was  "  father  of  a  multi- 
tude," —  produced  by  incorporating  the  word  hamon,  a 
multitude ;  and  thus  showing  that  Abraham  was  to  be  the 
father  of  a  great  multitude.  This  change  of  name  frequently 
occurs  in  Scripture ;  and  one  cannot  understand  it,  except  it 
be  as  a  memorial  or  a  memento  of  the  special  event  which 
occurred  when  that  change  took  place,  or  of  the  great  truth 
which  that  change  was  meant  to  shadow  and  show  forth.  In 
every  age,  God  has  not  been  satisfied  with  merely  revealing 
to  man  an  abstract  truth, —  He  has  always  incorporated  with  it 
some  material,  visible,  or  palpable  memento.  Thus,  when  they 
crossed  the  river,  the  stones  erected  were  to  be  a  memorial. 
Then  in  the  New  Testament  Church,  in  which  we  worship  in 


138  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

spirit  and  in  truth,  two  sacraments,  or  symbolical  rites,  have 
been  established,  not  only  because  God  saw  that  more  were 
not  necessary,  and  that  less  would  not  do,  but  also  that  these 
two  were  suggestive,  commemorative,  and  instructive  to  man. 
We  read,  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  that "  Jacob,"  or  "  Yacob," 
was  changed  into  "  Israel,"  because  he  was  a  man  that  had 
power  with  God.  We  read,  in  the  New  Testament,  of  Ce- 
phas turned  again  into  Petros ;  and  we  read  of  Saul  the 
persecutor  changed  into  Paul  the  apostle ;  evidently  to  bring 
before  those  individuals  the  events,  or  the  facts,  out  of  which 
the  change  of  their  names  originated,  and  to  be  constantly 
before  them,  a  pledge  of  what  they  should  be.  Hence  it  is  a 
very  beautiful  trait,  I  think,  that  when  our  children  are  bap- 
tized, we  give  a  name  to  them.  The  meaning  of  baptism, 
however,  be  it  observed,  is  not  giving  a  name  to  a  child. 
Sometimes  ignorant  parents  have  asked  me  to  come  and 
"  name  our  child."  I  have  answered,  "  That  is  not  my  duty; 
it  is  yours."  Naming  a  child  is  the  parent's  duty,  not  mine ; 
and  whether  the  parent  gives  that  name  when  young  or  old, 
it  is  a  civil  arrangement, —  it  is  not  a  Christian  thing  at  all ; 
yet  it  is  very  beautiful  that  the  name  should  be  associated  by 
baptism  with  serving  God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost 
—  the  true  God ;  so  that,  whenever  a  person  in  future  years 
remembers  his  Christian  name,  he  may  always  be  reminded 
of  Christian  obligations  —  not  be  reminded  that  he  was 
regenerated  in  baptism,  which  would  be  to  remind  him  of  a 
falsehood,  but  be  reminded  that  he  was  dedicated  in  baptism 
to  the  worship  and  service  of  the  living  and  the  true  God. 
Therefore  the  association  of  the  name  with  the  sacrament  of 
baptism  is  in  full  harmony  with  those  scriptural  instances 
which  I  have  already  cited,  to  indicate  that  wherever  that 
name  is  subscribed  to  a  document,  or  sounded,  or  named, 
there  may  be  heard  the  undcr-toue  of  our  early  devotion  to 
God,  our  unabjured  responsibility  before  him. 


GENESIS   XYII.  139 

We  read,  in  the  next  place,  of  the  promise  made  to  Abra- 
ham :  "I  will  make  thee  exceeding  fruitful,  and  I  will  make 
nations  of  thee,  and  kings  shall  come  out  of  thee."  Abraham 
was  the  patriarchal  forefather  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
This  promise  is  fulfilled  in  the  fact  that  the  ancient  kings 
of  Edom  were  all  sprung  from  him ;  and,  at  this  moment,  the 
kings  of  Babylon,  Egypt,  and  Arabia,  and  the  Saracens  of 
modern  times,  all  trace  their  origin  to  Abraham  ;  and  kings 
literally,  in  superstition  or  in  enlightenment,  look  back  to 
Abraham  as  the  father  of  a  royal  and  illustrious  lineage. 

God  says  to  Abraham,  "  I  will  make  with  thee  an  everlast- 
ing covenant."  That  covenant  commemorated  and  pledged 
everlasting  blessings.  The  mode  of  the  covenant  was  changed ; 
the  things  pledged  in  the  covenant  continue.  Paul  reminds 
us  of  the  covenant,  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews:  "For 
when  God  made  promise  to  Abraham,  because  he  could 
swear  by  no  greater,  he  sware  by  himself,  saying,  Surely 
blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  multiplying  I  will  multiply 
thee.  And  so,  after  he  had  patiently  endured,  he  obtained 
the  promise.  For  men  verily  swear  by  the  gi-eater  ;  and  an 
oath  for  confirmation  is  to  them  an  end  of  all  strife.  Wherein 
God,  willing  more  abundantly  to  show  unto  the  heirs  of  prom- 
ise the  immutability  of  his  counsel,  confirmed  it  by  an  oath  ; 
that  by  two  immutable  things,  in  which  it  was  impossible  for 
God  to  lie,  we  might  have  a  strong  consolation,  who  have  fled 
for  refuge  to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  us  :  which 
hope  we  have  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  stead- 
fast, and  which  entereth  into  that  within  the  vail ;  whither 
the  foremnner  is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus,  made  an  high 
priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedec."  For  finding 
fault  with  them,  he  saith,  "  Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the 
Lord,  when  I  will  make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of 
Israel  and  with  the  house  of  Judah  ;  not  according  to  the 
covenant  that  I  made  with  their  fathers  in  the  day  when  I 
12* 


140  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

took  them  by  tlie  hand  to  lead  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
because  they  continued  not  in  my  covenant,  and  I  regarded 
them  not,  saith  the  Lord.  For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I 
will  make  with  the  house  of  Israel  after  those  days,  saith  the 
Lord ;  I  will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in 
their  hearts :  and  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they  shall  be 
to  me  a  people ;  and  they  shall  not  teach  every  man  his 
neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying.  Know  the  Lord  ; 
for  all  shall  know  me,  from  the  least  to  the  greatest.  For  I 
will  be  merciful  to  their  unrighteousness,  and  their  sins  and 
their  iniquities  will  I  remember  no  more.  In  that  he  saith, 
A  new  covenant,  he  hath  made  the  first  old.  Now  that  which 
decayeth  and  waxeth  old  is  ready  to  vanish  away."  The 
covenant  was  the  same ;  the  mode  of  its  administration  is 
only  changed.  And  why  does  God  promise,  or  swear,  or 
covenant  to  man  what  he  will  do  for  man  ?  Why  does  he,  in 
the  language  of  Scripture,  covenant  to  give  man  certain 
things  ?  Not  surely  that  God  needs  to  do  so,  but  that  man's 
confidence  is  strengthened  by  God  doing  so.  God  gives  the 
promise,  not  for  his  own  sake,  but  for  our  sake.  We  are  so 
much  the  creatures  of  sense  and  sight  and  feeling,  that  we 
need  something  to  remember  —  something  to  see  or  to  touch 
—  in  order  that  we  may  heartily  and  thoroughly  believe. 

He  says  that  part  of  this  covenant,  as  far  as  the  Jews  were 
concerned,  was,  that  he  would  give  them  this  land  of  Israel 
for  an  everlasting  possession  :  "  I  will  give  thee  this  land  for 
an  everlasting  possession."  Now,  what  does  this  mean  ?  Can 
we  any  way  figuratively  translate  this  ?  I  cannot  conceive 
that  we  can.  God  says  that  all  the  land  of  Canaan  shall  be 
for  an  everlasting  possession.  It  is  at  this  moment  the  Jew's 
estate — his  patrimony  ;  it  is  his  property.  The  nations  are 
merely  there  to  keep  the  empty  lodging  till  the  Jew  is  ready 
to  return.  The  Turk,  the  Frank  and  Arab,  are  mere  house- 
keepers to  the   ancient  dynasty  of  God  ;  and   as  soon  as  the 


GENESIS  XVII.  141 

Jew  is  ready  to  return,  and  the  land  is  ready  prepared,  the 
present  keepers  of  the  house  —  the  present  temporary  tenants 
—  will  be  dismissed ;  and  God's  royal  priesthood  will  show 
that  the  promise  to  Abraham  is  real :  "  Canaan  shall  be  to 
thee  for  an  everlasting  possession." 

In  the  tenth  verse  he  says,  "  This  is  my  covenant,  which  ye 
shall  keep,  between  me  and  you,  and  thy  seed  after  thee ; 
Every  man  child  among  you  shall  be  circumcised."  You  have 
here  a  striking  proof  of  the  sign  of  the  thing  being  called  by 
the  thing  itself.  It  says,  "  This  is  my  covenant ;  "  that  is, 
circumcision  is  my  covenant ;  but  circumcision  was  not  the 
covenant,  —  it  was  merely  the  sign  of  it.  And  so  you  will 
see  throughout  the  Scripture,  repeatedly,  that  the  sign  of  the 
thing  is  called  by  the  thing  itself.  Thus,  for  instance,  the 
passover  was  the  angel  passing  through  Egypt,  and  destroying 
the  first-born  of  every  family  where  there  was  no  blood  upon 
the  lintel,  and  sparing  the  first-born  where  there  was.  But 
the  flesh  of  the  roasted  lamb  eaten  by  the  family  is  called  "  the 
Lord's  passover."  For  instance,  the  ancient  Jew,  when  he 
commemorated  the  passover,  which  was  the  angel  in  his 
flight,  said  of  it,  "  This  is  the  Lord's  passover."  And  now, 
by  the  same  usage,  the  same  language  is  transferred  to  the 
Lord's  Supper  :  "  This  is  my  body,"  not  meaning  literally 
that  this  is  the  body  of  Christ,  but  the  symbol  or  the  memo- 
rial of  it.  Just  as  the  Jewish  celebrant  said,  "  This  is  the 
passover,"  while  he  did  not  mean,  "  This  is  an  angel  flying 
through  Egypt,  and  killing  the  first-born,"  but  merely,  "  This 
is  the  memorial  of  it ;  "  so  anybody,  guided  by  the  analogy 
of  Scripture,  would  never  dream  of  the  monstrous  dogma  of 
transubstantiation,  or  conclude  that  when  our  Lord  said, 
"  This  is  my  body,"  he  used  an  expression  difierent,  mate- 
rially different,  from  that  used  by  the  ancient  Jewish  celebrant 
when  he  said,  "  This  is  the  Lord's  passover." 

Abraham  laughed  when  God  made  the  promise  to  him  u\ 


142  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

the  seventeenth  verse ;  for  it  is  said,  "  Then  Abraham  fell 
upon  his  face,  and  laughed."  But  this  is  not  the  hmguage  of 
Bcorn  or  unbelief;  for  it  is  plain  throughout  the  Scripture,  in 
many  passages,  that  laughter  is  used  in  the  sense  of  joy. 
Thus :  "  Our  mouths  were  filled  with  laughter  " — that  is,  with 
joy.  It  is  not  implied  that  Abraham  laughed  in  incredulity, 
but  it  may  be  translated,  he  leaped  or  danced  for  joy  at 
the  admiration,  the  wonder  —  the  unexpected  and  wondrous 
fact — that  a  child  should  be  born  to  him  at  such  an  advanced 
age  as  is  specified  in  the  text.  And  when  we  read  in  the 
Grospels  that  "  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day,  and  he  saw 
it,  and  was  glad,"  I  have  not  a  doubt  that  there  is  in  that 
very  text  some  allusion  to  Abraham's  laughing. 

Abraham,  when  he  heard  that  Isaac  was  to  be  the  promised 
seed,  to  be  born  of  Sarah,  and  to  be  the  father  of  many 
kings,  and  of  the  promised  Messiah,  concluded  that  Ishmael 
would  now  be  cast  off,  or  slain,  showing  that  rashness  and 
hastiness  of  judgment  which  he  had  exhibited  in  more  in- 
stances than  one.  We  saw  his  besetting  temper  in  the 
instance  when  God  gave  a  promise,  and  when  Abram  and 
Sarai  could  not  believe  how  God  could  bring  it  about ;  and 
here  we  see  it  again,  when  God  promises  that  Isaac  shall  be 
the  progenitor  of  the  promised  seed,  and  that  Ishmael  shall 
not ;  and  especially  when,  again,  Abraham  offers  up  a  prayer 
for  Ishmael,  saying,  that  he  hoped  that  he  would  not  be  cut 
off,  but  that  he  should  be  spared,  and  blessed,  and  become  a 
blessing,  and  God  then  blesses  Ishmael  also. 

Each  parent  may  still  pray,  in  a  loftier  than  Abrahamic 
sense  :  "  (),  that  my  child  may  truly  live  before  God ;  live  to 
God,  and  live  with  God  forever  !  "  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
Lord  and  Giver  of  this  life. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

PATRIARCHAL  PICTURE  —  HOSPITALITY PROMISE  OF  ISAAC INCRE- 
DULITY OF  SARAH EXCELLENCES  IN  SARAH JESUS'  AND  ABRA- 
HAM'S   ONLY    PRAYER. 

A  Je"vyish  story  is  related  of  Abraham,  probably  apocry- 
phal, but  not  uninstructive  as  a  lesson  of  toleration.  It  is  as 
follows :  — 

"  When  Abraham  sat  at  his  tent  door,  according  to  his  cus- 
tom, waiting  to  entertain  strangers,  he  espied  an  old  man, 
stooping  and  leaning  on  his  staff,  weary  with  age  and  travel, 
coming  towards  him,  who  was  a  hundred  years  of  age ;  he 
received  him  kindly,  washed  his  feet,  provided  supper,  and 
caused  him  to  sit  down  ;  but,  observing  that  the  old  man  eat 
and  prayed  not,  nor  begged  for  a  blessing  on  his  meat,  asked 
him  why  he  did  not  worship  the  God  of  heaven  ?  The  old 
man  told  him  that  he  worshipped  the  fire  only,  and  acknowl- 
edged no  other  God;  at  which  answer  Abraham  grew  so 
zealously  angry  that  he  thrust  the  old  man  out  of  his  tent, 
and  exposed  him  to  all  the  evils  of  the  night  and  an  un- 
guarded condition.  When  the  old  man  was  gone,  God  called 
to  Abraham,  and  asked  him  where  the  stranger  was.  He 
replied,  I  thrust  him  away  because  he  did  not  worship  Thee. 
God  answered  him,  I  have  suffered  him  these  hmidred  years, 
although  he  dishonored  me,  and  couldst  thou  not  endure  him 
one  night,  when  he  gave  thee  no  trouble  ?  Upon  this,  Abra- 
ham fetched  him  back  again,  and  gave  him  hospitable 
entertainment  and  wise  instruction.  Go  thou  and  do  like- 
wise ;  and  thy  charity  will  be  rewarded  by  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham." 


144  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

We  learn  that  this  appearance  of  the  Lord  to  Abraham, 
recorded  in  the  first  verse  of  the  chapter,  was  after  a  consid- 
erable interval  of  some  twelve  or  thirteen  years.  Apparently, 
this  manifestation  or  apocalypse  of  God  to  the  patriarch  had 
been  suspended  just  because  of  the  sins  of  unbelief  and  pre- 
cipitancy by  Sarah  and  Abraham,  into  which  we  have  fully 
entered  on  a  previous  reading.  Sins  separated  then  between 
God  and  man,  just  as  they  separate  now. 

This  chapter  is  a  beautiful  combination  or  collection  of 
pictures  —  a  sort  of  picture  gallery.  It  opens  with  one  truly 
ancient  and  Eastern  in  its  aspect.  It  is  mid-day ;  the  sultri- 
ness of  the  sunbeams  is  intolerable ;  the  air  within  the  tent 
is  heated  and  almost  unfit  for  being  breathed.  The  aged 
patriarch,  gray  with  the  snows  of  a  hundred  years,  is  seated 
on  the  threshold  of  his  Arab  tent,  enjoying  the  fresh  breeze 
that  swept  by;  and,  no  doubt,  also,  prepared  to  show  the 
rites  of  hospitality,  according  to  ancient  habits,  to  all  stran- 
gers and  pilgrims  who  might  pass  by.  Whilst  he  sat  there, 
three  men  —  apparently  so;  two  of  them  really  angels  — 
passed  by,  or,  rather,  drew  near  to  his  tent.  That  two  of 
them  were  angels  is  plain  from  the  declaration  of  the  apostle 
Paul,  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Hebrews,  where  he  says 
that  some  have  entertained  angels  unawares,  evidently  allud- 
ing to  this  incident ;  but  that  one  of  these  personages  was 
the  Son  of  God,  in  that  previous  form  or  manifestation  in 
which  he  frequently  appeared  to  his  saints  of  old,  is,  I  think, 
unquestionable,  from  the  language  that  follows  in  the  sequel 
of  this  chapter.  Some  have  tried  to  make  out  that  these 
were  the  three  persons  of  the  Trinity.  I  think  that  there  is 
no  foundation  for  this  interpretation.  Two  of  the  three  were 
unquestionably  angels,  and  the  third  was  no  less,  as  I  shall 
prove  from  the  sequel  of  the  chapter,  than  the  Son  of  God. 
Whilst  Abraham  was  thus  seated,  he  saw  these  three  stran- 
gers approach,  apparently  weary  and  wayworn,  and,  as  his 


GENESIS    XVTir.  145 

heart  dictated,  he  bade  them  come  in  and  share  the  comforts 
of  his  tent.  He  addressed  them  with  offers  of  cordial  hospi- 
tality, and  with  feelings  of  great  liberalitj ;  and,  in  order  to 
show  that  he  did  not  attach  very  great  importance  to  what 
he  gave  them  in  the  exercise  of  his  hospitality,  he  calls  it  a 
"  little  water  "  and  a  "  morsel  of  bread ;  "  as  much  as  to  say, 
the  favor  of  your  partaking  will  be  a  favor  conferred  upon 
me.  In  offering  such  an  hospitality,  it  will  not  be  I  who  am 
offering  a  service  to  you,  but  you  that  will  oblige  me.  So  it 
is  that  real  courtesy  always  exists  wherever  there  is  real 
Christianity.  The  formula  under  which  it  is  expressed  may 
vary,  but  the  principle  is  the  same.  The  coins  in  France 
bear  the  image  of  a  president,  a  monarch,  or  an  emperor ;  in 
Austria,  of  a  monarch ;  and  in  England,  the  image  of  "a  queen ; 
but  it  is  the  same  gold  in  all  the  countries.  The  currency  is 
variable,  evanescent ;  the  substance  is  always  and  everywhere 
the  same.  Wherever  there  is  real  Christianity,  there  must 
be  real  courtesy ;  in  other  words,  the  highest  Christian  must 
be  essentially  the  most  accomplished  gentleman. 

Abraham  addressed  one  of  these  personages  plainly  as  if  he 
saw  that  he  was  one  who  was  entitled  to  very  special  respect ; 
for,  while  he  saw  three,  he  particularly  addresses  one  as 
"My  Lord,  if  now  I  have  found  favor  in  thy  sight;  "  lan- 
guage which  we  cannot  suppose  Abraham  would  have  em- 
ployed if  he  had  not  been  aware  that  some  personage  of  loftier 
than  angelic  dignity  was  present  in  the  midst  of  the  three. 

He  offers,  first  of  all,  a  little  water  to  wash  the  feet.  This 
was  one  of  the  ancient  Eastern  rites  of  hospitality.  Shoes 
or  boots  were  not  then  worn  —  sandals  only  for  the  soles  of 
the  feet  were  in  use  ;  and  travelling  over  the  hot  sands  under 
a  burning  sky,  in  those  countries,  the  feet  of  course  were 
covered  with  dust,  and  the  traveller  weary  and  fatigued ;  and 
hence  the  first  act  of  hospitality,  and  the  most  welcome,  was 


146  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

to  offer  a  refreshing  ablution  of  the  feet,  which  was  never 
dispensed  with,  but  always  exercised. 

Next  he  offers  a  morsel  of  bread.  This  does  not  mean 
bread  alone.  We  know  that  bread  was  regarded  as  the  staff 
of  life ;  in  fact,  Scripture  speaks  of  the  whole  "  stay  of  bread," 
and  the  whole  "  staff  of  bread,"  being  taken  away ;  and, 
therefore,  when  they  were  offered  bread  by  Abraham,  they 
were  offered  in  that  word  the  epitome  or  compendium  of  all 
that  was  necessary  to  recruit,  feed,  and  refresh  man.  He 
offered  them  what  he  called  a  morsel  of  bread  and  a  little 
water,  and  they  showed  their  appreciation  of  his  hospitality, 
not  by  a  hesitating  acceptance,  but  a  cordial  response,  when 
they  said,  "  So  do  as  thou  hast  said." 

Sarah  was  next  ordered  to  take  a  little  refined  flour,  and 
to  knead  a  cake.  This  seems  very  derogatory  to  the  dignity 
of  a  princess.  Abraham  was  greater  than  an  Arab  sheik, 
and  it  seems  inconsistent  that  the  lady  of  that  house,  occu- 
pying so  lofty  a  place,  should  be  ordered  to  do  a  thing  like 
this ;  it  shocks  all  our  ideas  of  etiquette  and  social  usage, 
and  scarcely  meets  our  ideas  of  what  is  connected  with  the 
rites  of  hospitality.  But  it  was  no  inconsistency ;  for  it  is 
the  custom  still  in  Eastern  countries  for  persons  of  very  great 
rank  to  take  this  part  in  exercising  hospitality.  Ladies  in 
some  countries  are  taught  to  sing  and  to  dance,  and  in  others 
to  bake  and  brew ;  it  is  doubtful  which  education  is  best. 
Common  sense,  perhaps,  would  be  in  favor  of  the  Eastern 
habits.  However,  this  is  a  matter  I  do  not  meddle  with. 
Sarah  thought  it  no  degradation,  and  therefore  made  no 
delay.  There  is  another  reason  for  requiring  to  bake  bread 
on  an  emergency ;  bread  will  not  keep  in  warm  climates,  as 
it  does  with  us,  and,  therefore,  bread  had  to  be  made  almost 
immediately  before  it  was  used ;  and  I  am  told  that  in  Hin- 
dostan  it  is  still  only  baked  for  the  day,  and  it  is  only  fit  to 
be  used  for  the  day  on  which  it  is  baked. 


GENESIS    XVIII.  147 

And  he  sent  out  also  for  a  calf,  tender  and  young,  and 
gave  it  to  a  servant  to  be  prepared  for  their  food.  This  is 
also  a  practice  in  Eastern  countries  still,  since  meat  cannot 
be  kept  as  in  our  northern  latitude ;  it  must  be  killed  on  the 
day  in  which  it  is  used.  And  Abraham,  to  show  the  respect 
and  reverence  for  one  whom  he  called  "  Lord,"  and  his  hos- 
pitality and  courtesy  to  the  two  whom  he  saw  to  be  angels, 
stood  by  whilst  they  enjoyed  the  rites  of  hospitality,  finding 
his  enjoyment,  and  so  showing  a  deep  and  true  courtesy,  in 
their  enjoyment,  refreshment,  and  gratification. 

These  three  strangers  then  said  to  Abraham,  "  Where  is 
Sarah,  thy  wife  ?  "  In  some  accounts  of  Eastern  travels,  I 
read  that  it  is  regarded  as  a  point  of  rudeness  to  ask,  "  Where 
is  thy  wife  ?  "  or  to  ask  even  after  the  health  of  a  man's  wife ; 
and,  therefore,  this  must  have  seemed  to  Abraham  a  very 
strange  return  to  his  courtesy,  that  one  should  make  this 
inquiry ;  but  it  must  have  seemed  to  him  still  more  perplex- 
ing to  hear  these  strangers  call  her,  not  Sarai,  but  by  the 
new  name  that  was  conferred  by  God  in  the  exercise  of  a 
special  prerogative  -:-  Sarah.  That  was  her  new  name.  Abra- 
ham must  have  wondered  where  these  three  strangers  could 
have  got  information  of  this  change  of  name  of  which  Sarah 
had  been  the  subject.  His  answer  was,  that  she  was  in  the 
tent  —  that  is,  in  the  woman's  tent ;  for  in  Eastern  countries 
the  women's  rooms  are  all  separated  from  that  part  of  the 
house  where  the  men  are  :  the  two  sexes  do  not  mix  together 
as  in  European  and  in  northern  countries;  and,  in  saying 
this,  he  virtually  said,  "  She  is  in  her  own  proper  place  — 
she  is  just  where  she  should  be ;  "  and,  therefore,  in  this  re- 
spect, she  was  an  example  to  every  mother  and  head  or 
mistress  of  a  house  in  subsequent  times.  "  Teach  the  young 
women  to  be  sober,  to  love  their  husbands,  to  love  their  chil- 
dren, to  be  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at  home,  good,  obedient 
to  their  own  husbands."  Titus  2  :  4,  5. 
18 


148  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

In  the  tenth  verse  there  is  the  first  unequivocal  intimation 
that  one  of  these  personages  must  have  been  more  than  a 
created  angel ;  for  it  is  said,  "  And  he  said,"  without  naming 
the  personage,  "  7  will  certainly  return  unto  .thee ;  and,  lo  ! 
Sarah,  thy  wife,  shall  have  a  son."  Then  you  go  down  to 
the  thirteenth  verse,  and  you  find  that  this  personage  who 
spoke  to  Abraham  is  called  by  the  incommunicable  name, 
"  Jehovah."  "  And  Jehovah  said  unto  Abraham,  "Wherefore 
did  Sarah  laugh  ? "  And  then  again,  in  the  seventeenth 
verse,  the  same  Being  is  alluded  to  in  these  terms :  "  And 
Jehovah  said.  Shall  I  hide  from  Abraham  that  thing  which  I 
do  ?  "  And  then  again,  at  the  twentieth  verse,  "  And  Jeho- 
vah said.  Because  the  cry  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  is  great, 
and  because  their  sin  is  very  grievous,  I  will  go  down."  And 
then  it  appears  that  "the  men"  —  that  is,  evidently  two  of 
the  three  —  in  the  twenty-second  verse,  "  turned  their  faces 
from  thence,  and  went  toward  Sodom ;  but  Abraham  stood 
yet  before  Jehovah,"  —  thus  evincing  that  one  of  these  must 
have  been  Jehovah.  Two  departed  towards  Sodom,  and  one 
remained,  who  is  called  here  Jehovah,  to  whom  Abraham 
prays,  and  with  whom  he  carries  on  that  sublime  and  pre- 
cious, yet  prayerful  controversy  which  is  recorded  in  the  close 
of  this  chapter. 

When  this  promise  was  made,  Sarah  overheard  it  through 
the  curtains  of  the  tent,  and  laughed ;  and  laughed  so  loudly 
that  the  echoes  of  her  laughter  reached  the  ears  of  those  who 
talked  with  Abraham.  We  read,  in  a  former  part  of  this 
book,  that  Abraham  laughed ;  but  he  laughed  for  joy,  or,  as 
our  Lord  translates  it  in  the  gospel,  "  leaped  for  joy."  But 
here,  Sarah  laughed  in  incredulity ;  and  thus,  therefore,  you 
see  that  the  outer  act  may  not  be  always  the  exponent  of  the 
inner  feelings;  and  this  teaches  us  how  slow  wo  should  be  to 
judge  of  what  we  see,  unless  we  know  that  the  outward  act  is 
the  exponent  of  an  inner  thing ;  for  many  things  one  looks 
at  aR  sinful  may  not  be  really  bo  ;  and  many  traits  that  seem 


GENESIS   XVIII.  149 

to  US  beautiful  and  Christian,  may  be  the  reverse  when  we 
conle  thoroughly  to  trace,  analyze,  and  examine  them. 

The  answer  of  one  of  these  beings  —  that  one  called  Jeho- 
vah, no  doubt  —  is,  "Is  anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord?  " 
It  should  not  be  rendered  anything  ;  there  are  some  things 
that  are  too  hard  for  the  Lord  —  for  instance,  "  God  cannot 
lie ;"  that  is  impossible.  But  here  it  is  the  Hebrew  word 
"  dabar,"  that  is,"  Is  any  word  (that  is,  promise)  spoken  by  the 
Lord  too  hard  for  the  Lord  to  fulj&l  ?  "  The  meaning  of  it 
is,  "  Has  God  said  anything  in  his  holy  Word,  or  promised 
anything,  which  he  himself  has  not  power  thoroughly  to  fulfil  ?" 
—  a  very  proper  and  a  very  decisive  reply. 

Poor  Sarah,  evidently  catching  a  gleam  of  the  majesty  of 
the  person  who  thus  spoke,  recollecting  what  she  had  said, 
and  utterly  overcome  with  fright, —  "  for  she  was  afraid," 
thereby  implying  that  she  saw  in  this  being  somebody  much 
higher  than  a  created  angel, —  hastily  replied  in  her  fright 
(not,  as  I  believe,  uttered  a  premeditated  and  deliberate 
falsehood,  yet,  like  Eve,  she  tried  to  cover  one  sin  by  another), 
"  I  did  not  laugh;  "  she  denied  that  she  laughed.  And  then 
the  Lord,  this  being  to  whom  she  had  thus  replied,  in  decisive 
but  gentle  rebuke,  said,  "  Thou  didst  laugh  ;  "  thus  silencing 
Sarah,  and  reprimanding  her  sin.  What  a  model  for  us  in 
our  replies !  Better  not  to  resort  to  recrimination  ;  far  better 
to  refer  the  thing  to  the  verdict  of  conscience.  You  may 
depend  upon  it,  that,  when  a  person  has  a  conscience  left,  a 
great  deal  of  recrimination  will  only  harden  that  conscience, 
while  a  simple,  short,  and  not  offensive  rebuke,  uttered  quietly 
but  firmly,  will  penetrate,  and  excite  feelings  and  reflections, 
and,  if  needs  be,  repentance,  that  nothing  else  will  do.  This 
was  one  of  Sarah's  sins,  and  throughout  the  whole  of  her 
biography  she  does  certainly  exhibit  very  marked  defects. 
I  need  not  remind  you  that  every  character  recorded  in  the 
Old  Testament  has  great  defects,  and  that  Scripture  clearly 


150  SCRIPTURE    R12ADINQS. 

records  them.  It  is  a  most  silly  thing  for  persons  who  call 
themselves  rationalists,  to  allege,  that  because  Abraham,  and 
Sarah,  and  Lot,  and  David,  did  commit  great  sins,  therefore 
God  sanctions  sin.  They  did  commit  great  sins;  but  they 
are  not  set  before  us  as  perfect  beings,  which  would  have  been 
untrue,  but  as  average  specimens  of  average  Christian  char- 
acter, showing  their  great  defects  in  order  that  we  might 
avoid  them,  but  showing  also  that  they  had  very  great  ex- 
cellences for  us  to  imitate.  God  records  their  sins  in  his 
history ;  he  rebukes  their  sins  in  his  law.  And  a  very  strange 
thing  it  is,  that  when  men  of  depraved  minds  read  the  history 
of  Abraham,  or  of  Lot,  or  of  David,  they  contrive  to  draw 
a  veil  over  their  excellences,  and  they  select  their  greatest 
defects  and  faults  for  their  special  admiration  and  imitation, 
or,  if  reckoned  more  convenient,  of  sceptical  objection.  Let 
us  look  at  the  characters  of  these  men  as  a  whole,  and  re- 
member what  the  Bible  is ;  it  is,  on  one  side  of  it,  the  portrait 
of  Deity,  and  on  the  obverse  the  portrait  of  humanity  in  all 
its  phases,  and  that  portrait  a  correct  and  a  true  one.  The 
excellences  in  human  character  are  not  brought  forward  in 
broad  and  illuminated  relief,  but  truly  and  exactly ;  in  all 
these  characters  there  are  traces  of  defects;  just  because 
they  are  actual  and  real,  not  romantic  and  imaginary.  Their 
sins  are  beacons,  their  excellences  precedents ;  look  only  at 
the  latter.  Remember  also  that  the  portrait  is  a  faithful  one, 
and  of  man  as  a  whole ;  and  remember,  too,  that  it  is  that 
which  gives  to  this  book  such  irresistible  proof  of  being  the 
inspiration  of  God.  Now,  whilst  Sarah's  great  defects  are 
mentioned,  one  would  wish  to  remember  that  she  was  not 
without  great  excellences ;  and  hence  the  apostle  Peter,  re- 
ferring to  this  very  occasion  on  which  we  have  been  nov/ 
commenting,  speaks  of  Sarah  in  terms  of  great  praise.  For 
instance,  in  the  third  chapter  of  the  1st  Epistle  of  Peter, 
speaking  to  wives,  he  says,  "  Be  in  subjection  to  your  own 
husbands;  that  if  any   obey   not  the   word,  they   also  may 


GENESIS    XVIII.  151 

without  the  word  be  won  bj  the  conversation  of  the  wives ;  " 
and  then  he  says,  "  Whose  adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  out- 
ward adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of  wearing  of  gold, 
or  of  putting  on  of  apparel;  "  let  not  that  be  their  pride, 
"  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that  which  is 
not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit, 
which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of  great  price.  For  after  this 
manner,  in  the  old  time,  the  holy  women  also,  who  trusted  in 
God,  adorned  themselves,  being  in  subjection  unto  their  own 
husbands,  even  as  Sarah  obeyed  Abraham,"  alluding  to  this  very 
passage,  "  calling  him  lord;  whose  servants  ye  are,  as  long 
as  ye_  do  well,  and  are  not  afraid  with  any  amazement ;  "  al- 
luding to  this  very  circumstance,  being  afraid,  losing  one's 
balance,  one's  self-possession,  by  some  sudden  shock  of  terror 
or  alarm ;  not  to  be  thus  afraid,  but  to  cultivate  those  prin- 
ciples and  practices  which  are  alike  the  ornament  and  the 
beauty  of  the  Christian  character. 

The  two  angels  departed,  and  Abraham  was  left  with  Jeho- 
vah alone.  I  reserve  for  my  discourse  that  beautiful  petition 
in  the  close  of  the  chapter,  which  I  will  bring  before  you 
elsewhere.  God  said  that  Abraham  would  command  his 
children  and  his  household  after  him.  In  other  words,  he 
exhibited  that  trait  of  character,  that  regard  for  home,  which 
made  him  to  be  so  fit  for  a  higher  sphere.  What  a  man  is  at 
home,  that  he  really  is ;  and  wherever  there  are  displayed 
anger  and  violent  temper  at  home,  mismanagement,  miscon- 
duct, and  miscontrol,  there  is  no  hope  of  any  consistent  or 
beautiful  character  and  conduct  abroad.  If  good  conduct  in 
the  lower  sphere  fits  for  entrance  on  a  higher,  good  use  of  the 
lower  degree  is  the  best  qualification  for  a  right  use  of  the 
higher.  The  prayer,  at  the  close,  for  Sodom,  shows  Abraham 
to  have  been  a  man  of  profound  humility,  yet  Christian  bold- 
ness, and  of  perseverance  in  prayer.  He  was  the  first  City 
Missionary  on  record.  His  litany  deserves  our  most  earnest 
study.  23^ 


CHAPTER    XIX 


IX)T's   sin  —  INDIRECT  LIGHT   OF   CHKISTIANITY  —  THE  MAGISTRATE  OR 

MERCHANT   IN   THE   GATE  ANGEL'S     ANSWER     TO    LOT A   MOB  

EXPEDIENCY  SONS-IN-LAW  LOT'S    WIFE. 


We  find,  in  the  chapter  I  have  read,  a  specimen  of  the 
depth  of  depravity  to  which  human  nature  falls  when  left  to 
itself.  Lot's  escape  from  Sodom  was  incomplete  without  an 
escape  from  his  own  heart.  Some  one  made  the  remark,  when 
he  saw  a  criminal  suffer  for  his  crimes,  "  Here  should  I  be  if 
it  were  not  for  the  grace  of  God ;  "  and  these  awful  speci- 
^rnens  of  depravity,  a  depravity  occasionally  breaking  out 
where  least  expected,  given  in  the  word  of  God,  are  recorded, 
not  to  encourage  such  crimes, —  for  they  are  recorded  in  too 
holy  a  manner,  and  with  too  sacred  an  object, —  but  to  show 
you  to  what  an  awful  depth  the  human  heart,  when  left  to 
itself,  can  precipitate  its  possessor.  Our  worst  foes  are  within. 
Since  these  sins  do  not  probably  occur  now,  some  may  infer 
that  human  nature  is  vastly  ameliorated  and  improved.  I 
believe  that  the  reason  why  there  is  so  much  excellence 
amongst  those  who  are  not  spiritual  or  regenerated  men,  is 
owing  to  the  reflex  or  indirect  influence  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus ;  for  whilst  there  is  a  light  that  sanctifies  and  saves, 
tliere  is  also  a  reflected  light  that  moralizes,  civilizes,  and  im- 
proves. And  in  this  great  country  of  ours,  and  in  other 
countries,  where  pure  and  undcfiled  religion  is  predominant, 
the  high-toned  morality  that  characterizes  them  springs  very 
much,   where  the  gospel   is  not  individually  felt,  from   tlie 


GENESIS    XIX.  153 

reflex  influence  of  its  spiritual  light.  The  Royal  Exchange 
owes  much  to  the  sanctuary;  the  palace  owes  much  of  what 
dignifies  and  adorns  it  to  the  Christian  Church ;  and  there  is 
not  an  individual  in  this  great  land  of  ours,  from  the  child 
upon  its  mother's  knee  to  the  queen  who  sits  upon  the  throne, 
who  is  not  better  and  happier  for  the  fact  that  Jesus  died, 
and  that  the  Bible  was  inspired.  Lot's  foulest  sin  seems  to 
have  originated  from  that  wretched  and  distorted  expediency 
which,  not  seeing  how  God  can  fulfil  his  purposes,  and  con- 
cluding there  is  but  one  way  to  do  so  that  is  possible,  sets 
about  to  help  God  to  do  what  God  alone  has  pledged,  and 
God  alone  will  perform. 

When  we  open  this  chapter  we  find  a  spectacle  somewhat 
analogous  to  that  which  we  noticed  in  the  previous  chapter. 
Abraham  was  seated  at  his  tent  door,  ready  to  exercise  the 
rites  of  hospitality  ;  Lot  is  found  sitting  at  the  gate  of  Sodom. 
Now,  one  does  not  know  whether  this  was  because  Lot  had 
become  a  magistrate  in  the  midst  of  Sodom,  and  therefore 
was  dispensing  justice  at  the  gate, —  for  the  gates  were  so 
used  in  ancient  times ;  or  whether  it  means  that  he  was  —  and 
this  most  probably  is  correct  —  a  merchant  selling  goods,  and 
making  the  largest  profits  whilst  the  opportunity  ofi'ered. 
When  we  recall  the  traits  of  his  previous  character,  and  his 
selection  of  the  well- watered  plains  of  Jordan,  because  they 
were  well  watered  and  productive,  and  a  city  near,  we  trace 
an  avaricious  element  running  through  his  whole  biography ; 
and  the  probability  is  that  he  sat  at  the  gate  to  make  larger 
profits,  and  to  sell  goods  in  order  to  increase  that  fortune  which 
he  v/as  amassing  in  Sodom,  and  intended  to  bequeath  to  a  fam- 
ily he  had  "  made,"  in  order  that  they  might  be  rich  and 
renowned  also. 

Whilst  thus  seated,  he  saw  strangers  come,  and,  with  the 
characteristic  feeling  of  orientals,  and  more  especially  of 
ancient  orientals,  he  offered  them  all  the  privileges  of  hos- 


154  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

pitality  and  entertainment.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the 
reply  of  the  angels  on  this  occasion  was  different  from  what  it 
was  to  Abraham  —  very  different.  When  Abraham,  in  the 
previous  chapter,  asked  the  angels  to  come  in,  they  accepted 
his  hospitality  at  once;  they  said,  "So  do  as  thou  hast  said;" 
but  when  Lot  asked  these  angels  to  come  in,  they  said,  "Nay; 
but  we  will  abide  in  the  street  all  night."  There  must  have 
been  some  reason  for  the  different  reception  of  the  same  cour- 
teous and  hospitable  invitation,  given  by  the  nephew ;  no 
doubt  they  intended  in  this  remark  to  rebuke  Lot,  by  deli- 
cately insinuating  that  he  had  deliberately  selected  an  unholy  " 
and  corrupt  city  for  his  residence,  and  that  his  home  was  not 
what  it  should  be.  They  conveyed  gently  but  faithfully  to 
his  heart  a  rebuke  as  they  substantially  said,  "  Whilst  we 
embrace  thankfully  the  hospitality  of  Abraham,  we  have  some 
hesitation  in  accepting  that  not  less  courteous,  but  not  equally 
pure  hospitality,  which  you  offer  us."  IIow  strikingly  con- 
sistent is  the  conthiuity  of  the  narrative  in  this  single  instance ! 
How  true  to  life,  to  fact,  to  truth!  Afterwards  they  consented 
when  they  had  conveyed  the  rebuke,  and  he  set  before  them 
that  simple  entertainment  which  it  was  customary  in  those 
days  to  provide. 

We  read  the  account  of  the  criminal  mob ;  and  how  ex- 
tremely like  it  is  to  the  conduct  of  the  mob  in  the  present 
day,  and  how  conclusive  a  proof  that  the  mob  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  the  mob  of  Sodom,  described  here,  are  in 
spirit  the  same!  They  said  to  Lot,  instead  of  thanking  him 
for  the  benefits  that  he  had  spread  around  him,  and  all  that 
he  hud  done  to  increase  their  traffic  and  add  to  their  good, 
"This  fellow  came  in  to  sojourn," — we  gave  him  a  room  and 
entertainment,  while  really  and  truly  they  did  not ;  for  they 
welcomed  the  seller  to  benefit  thcnisclvcs,  the  buyers,  and  Lot 
came  to  benefit  himself;  it  was  in  the  way  of  trade  he  came, 
and  thus  only  they  made  him  welcome ;  they  really  received 


GENE8IS    XIX.  155 

him  into  the  market,  and  yet  they  professed  to  make  it  hos- 
pitality and  pure  affection,  — "  and  he  will  needs  be  a  judge." 
He  came  here  to  sojourn,  and  he  sets  up  now  to  be  a  judge ; 
as  if  we  were  not  as  old  inhabitants,  and  as  pure,  and  honest, 
and  fair,  as  this  stranger,  whom  we  admitted  into  the  town 
for  his  comfort,  not  our  convenience.  "  And  they  pressed 
sore  upon  him."  And  then  we  read  that  the  angels  assisted 
Lot,  and  smote  with  blindness  the  mob  that  was  without,  — 
an  infliction  almost  typical  of  what  a  mob  becomes  when  left 
to  itself.  Nothing  is  so  blind  as  a  mob  ;  nothing  is  so  bad 
that  it  will  not  perpetrate  it.  I  do  not  mean,  by  the  mob,  a 
people.  Christianity  makes  a  people ;  fallen  and  corrupt 
passions  make  a  mob.  In  France  there  is,  I  fear,  a  mob, 
but  not  yet  a  people  ;  in  America  and  Great  Britain  there  is 
a  people  who  are  almost  strangers  to  the  very  sight  of  a  mob. 
Such  is  the  blindness  of  an  excited  mob,  that,  if  one  had  one's 
choice,  better  smart  under  the  rod  of  the  autocrat  on  the 
throne  than  obey  the  dictation  of  the  mob  in  the  Agora. 
Lot's  attempt  to  propitiate  them  was  so  far  praiseworthy. 
In  what  he  had  said  to  them  there  was  much  of  courtesy, 
much  of  gentleness,  much  of  conciliatory  temper  and  conduct; 
and  yet  there  was  much  that  was  most  sinful.  He  tried,  like 
some  modern  politicians,  to  get  rid  of  one  sin  by  perpetrating 
a  second.  He  acted  on  what  is  called  in  modern  times  exjje- 
diency,  —  that  is,  perpetrating  a  little  sin  in  order  to  avoid  a 
great  sin ;  whereas  the  proper  way  is  to  commit  no  sin  at  all. 
Expediency  says,  we  cannot  manage  these  priests,  and  there- 
fore we  will  endow  them ;  we  cannot  gain  this  end  without 
doing  thai  evil,  therefore  do  it ;  whereas  the  true  coui'se  is  to 
do  what  is  right ;  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  the  noblest 
expediency  will  follow  in  its  wake.  We  may  do  expedient 
things  that  are  wrong,  but  we  never  can  do  right  things  that 
are  inexpedient.  In  the  long-run  the  highest  principle  is 
alwaj'-s  the  highest  expediency.    I  admit  it  is  not  immediately 


156  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

SO,  but  it  is  always  ultimately  and  really  so.  In  other  words, 
it  is  the  old  law  of  mathematics,  —  the  straight  line  is  always 
the  nearest  way  from  one  point  to  another,  and  the  circuitous 
line,  however  beautiful  or  smooth,  is  always  the  farthest ;  and 
you  run  the  risk,  in  travelling  it,  of  an  eccentric  influence  that 
may  carry  you  to  ruin. 

The  angels,  after  smiting  the  mob  with  blindness,  called 
upon  Lot  to  escape.  They  said.  This  city  is  incurably  cor- 
rupt ;  escape  from  it.  And  then  we  read  that  Lot  addressed 
his  family  like  a  priest,  like  a  prophet,  like  a  Christian,  like 
a  father;  but  we  read,  also,  that  his  sons-in-law,  —  what  a_ 
rebuke  to  his  past  conduct,  which  had  sanctioned  that  rela- 
tion, and  which  induced  him  to  take  up  a  home  in  that  city, 
which  led  to  that  relation ! — his  sons-in-law,  whom  his  daugh- 
ters married  because  they  were  rich  and  great,  laughed  at 
him,  and  mocked  at  what  they  supposed  to  be  his  folly.  Poor 
Lot  himself  was  so  infatuated,  that,  for  a  moment,  it  appears, 
he  lingered ;  and  the  angels,  it  is  said,  took  hold  of  him  and 
hurried  him  out,  God  being  merciful  to  him.  I  fancy  that 
his  lingering  was  not  altogether  love  of  Sodom  ;  but  the  poor 
man's  heart  was  so  broken,  his  expectations  so  shocked,  his 
hopes  so  crushed  by  all  that  he  saw,  that  I  believe  he  was 
bewildered  and  paralyzed.  You  have  noticed,  in  the  midst 
of  our  crowded  thoroughfares,  a  person  crossing  the  street 
while  a  carriage  approaches  on  his  right  hand,  and  another 
on  his  left,  and  a  wagon  is  coming  behind ;  the  man  loses 
self-possession,  falls  down,  and,  unless  picked  up,  is  sure  to 
be  killed.  Lot  seems  to  have  been  so  bewildered,  by  the 
unexpected  results  of  his  conduct,  that  he  sat  down,  stupefied 
and  unconscious,  to  perish  in  the  midst  of  Sodom.  The 
angels,  the  Lord  being  merciful  to  him,  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  thrust  him  out.  God  thrusts  out  of  danger  many  a  reluc- 
tant one  still.  Here,  poor  man,  his  characteristic  infirmity 
broke  out  —  he  could  not  take  God's  law  at  once,  but  again 


GENESIS   XIX.  157 

he  edges  in  his  own  corrupt  and  miserable  expediency  :  "  Do 
not  let  me  go  to  the  mountain,  but  let  me  go  to  the  little  city 
Zoar."  Just  so  the  sinner  still  struggles  with  God  for  a  little 
bit  of  self-righteousness  to  take  to  heaven,  instead  of  taking 
God's  way,  which  is  always  the  truest. 

We  read,  next,  of  Lot's  wife  being  turned  into  a  pillar  of 
salt.  Looking  back,  she  disobeyed  God's  word,  —  took  her 
way,  not  his.  There  is  much  dispute  about  this,  and  the  sites 
of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah ;  the  greatest  light  that  has  been 
thrown  upon  it  has  been  by  Lieutenant  Lynch,  who  set  out 
to  investigate  the  whole  state  of  the  country  about  the  river 
Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks,  he 
states  that  they  found  at  the  south-eastern  extremity  of  the 
lake  a  large  pillar,  composed  of  saline  substances  or  particles, 
which  the  persons  resident  there  declared  was  Lot's  wife,  the 
pillar  of  salt.  That  it  was  not  so  is  Lieutenant  Lynch's  con- 
viction, though  it  was  popularly  so  said.  He  says,  "  On  the 
eastern  side  of  Hashim-Usdum,  one-third  of  the  distance  from 
its  north  extremity,  a  pillar  of  solid  salt  was  discovered, 
capped  with  carbonate  of  lime,  cylindrical  in  front,  and  pyram- 
idal behind.  The  upper  or  rounded  part  is  about  forty  feet 
high  "  (and  that  alone  would  be  conclusive  that  it  was  not 
Lot's  wife),  "  resting  on  a  kind  of  oval  pedestal,  from  forty  to 
sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  crumbles  at  the  top, 
and  is  one  entire  mass  of  crystallization."  The  Dead  Sea, 
which  is  the  lasting  and  unmistakable  memorial  of  the  awful 
ruin  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  is  also  described  by  this  enter- 
prising traveller.  He  describes  it  as  being  a  very  remarkable 
place.  At  one  place,  six  hundi'ed  and  ninety-six  feet  was  the 
greatest  depth,  and  at  another  part  it  was  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  in  depth,  —  an  immense  depth; 
that  the  water  is  of  so  great  density,  or  specific  gravity,  that 
"  a  horse  swimming  in  the  sea  tui-ned  a  little  on  one  side,  but 
did  not  lose  his  balance  ; "  and  that  persons  tried  to  swim  in 


158  BCKIPTCKE    READINGS. 

it,  but  they  were  so  buoyant  that  they  floated  like  pieces  of 
cork ;  that  there  is  no  vegetation  about  its  banks,  but  that 
they  are  covered  with  saline  particles.  Lieutenant  Lynch 
observes,  "The  inference  from  the  Bible,  that  this  entire 
chasm  was  a  plain  sunk  and  overwhelmed  by  the  wrath  of 
God,  seems  to  be  sustained  by  the  extraordinary  character  of 
our  soundings.  Between  the  Jabbok  and  this  sea,  we  found 
a  sudden  breakdown  in  the  bed  of  the  Jordan."^  The  three 
gentlemen  who  set  out  on  this  most  interesting  voj'age,  came 
unanimously  to  the  following  conclusion  :  "  We  entered  on 
the  sea  with  conflicting  opinions.  One  of  the  party  was 
sceptical ;  another,  a  professed  disbeliever  in  the  Mosaic  nar- 
rative. After  twenty-two  days'  close  investigation  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  if  I  am  not  mistaken  we  are  unanimous  in  the  conviction 
of  the  truth  of  the  scriptural  account  of  the  destruction  of  the 
cities  of  the  plain.  I  record  with  diffidence  the  conclusion  we 
have  reached,  simply  as  a  protest  against  the  shallow  deduc- 
tions of  would-be  unbelievers."  Now  it  is  very  interesting 
that  men  with  that  tendency  should  have  received  such  a  con- 
viction from  such  an  investigation.  The  discussion  about  the 
wife  of  Lot  being  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt  has  been  very 
frequently  repeated,  and  with  no  very  satisfactory  results.  I 
do  not  believe  that  the  pillar  that  they  discovered  was  what 
the  popular  tradition  reports  it  to  be ;  yet,  singular  enough, 
Josephus,  the  Jewish  historian,  states,  in  his  Jeivish  Antiqui- 
ties, that  he  saw  the  pillar  of  salt  into  which  Lot's  wife  was 
turned.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  saw  what  was  popularly 
stated  to  be  so.  And  two  of  the  Christian  fiithers,  Clement 
and  Ironaeus,  both  state  that  in  their  day  the  pillar  was  stand- 
ing. Now  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  traditional  pillar, 
yet  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  she  was  literally  turned  into  a 
pillar  of  salt,  though  I  can  believe  that  when  she  was  struck 

♦  Lynch 's  Narrative,  Bontley,  p.  379. 


GENESIS   XIX.  159 

dead,  the  saline  particles  encrusted  her ;  all  the  surface  of 
the  ground  in  that  district  denotes  volcanic  agency  ;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  she  was  covered  with  that  substance ;  but 
the  statement  mainly  is,  that  she  was  there  arrested  and 
destroyed ;  and  when  we  read  in  Scripture  that  salt  is  a  type 
of  perpetuity, — for  instance,  a  "covenant  of  salt"  is  a  scrip- 
ture expression  of  an  everlasting  covenant,  —  we  can  easily 
see  that  it  is  not  improbable  that  Lot's  wife  being  turned  into 
a  pillar  of  salt,  means  that  she  was  made  a  perpetual  instance 
of  the  judgment  that  falls  upon  them  who,  having  put  their 
hands  to  the  plough,  look  back,  and  wilfully  disobey  God's 
word.     Their  last  estate  becomes  worse  than  their  first. 

Mr.  Bush  upon  the  whole  of  this  subject  makes  the  follow- 
ing remarks,  and  gives  some  interesting  accounts  of  various 
travellers:  —  "The  name 'Dead  Sea 'is  sujDposed  to  have  been 
given  to  the  lake  in  consequence  of  the  desolate  appearance 
of  all  things  around,  and  the  absence  of  animal  and  vegetable 
life  ;  for  the  waters  being  intensely  salt,  and  the  soil  around 
deeply  impregnated  with  saline  matter,  no  plants  or  trees  will 
grow  there,  and  the  saturation  of  the  air  with  saline  particles 
and  sulphureous  and  bituminous  vapors  is  also  unfavorable  to 
vegetable  life.  It  is  a  necessary  consequence  of  this  that  no 
wild  animals  resort  thither  for  food  or  drink,  nor  are  flocks  or 
herds  led  to  its  shores.  The  absence  of  fish  also  in  its  waters 
prevents  even  the  resort  of  those  water-fowl,  whose  presence 
gives  some  animation  to  lakes  less  peculiarly  circumstanced  ; 
and,  altogether,  the  general  aspect  of  nature  in  this  blighted 
region  is  dull,  cheerless,  and  depressing.  The  unusual  still- 
ness of  so  large  a  body  of  water  is  quite  in  unison  with  the 
general  desolation,  to  which  it  not  a  little  contributes.  This 
is  doubtless  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  the  shelter  of  the 
mountains  which  inclose  it,  and  shut  out  the  strong  winds ; 
but  part  of  the  effect  may  perhaps  be  attributed  to  the  heavi- 
ness of  the  water.  '  It  was  nearly  dark,'  says  Mr.  Stephens 
14 


160  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

(Incid.  of  Trav.  vol.  ii.  p.  212),  '  when  we  reached  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  and  I  sat  down  for  a  moment  to  take  a  last  look 
at  the  Dead  Sea.  From  this  distance  its  aspect  fully  justified 
its  name.  It  was  calm,  motionless,  and  seemingly  dead ; 
there  was  no  wave  or  ripple  on  its  surface,  nor  was  it  hurry- 
ing on,  like  other  waters,  to  pay  its  tribute  to  the  ocean ;  the 
mountains  around  it  were  also  dead ;  no  trees  or  shrubs,  not 
a  blade  of  gi-ass  grew  on  their  naked  sides ;  and  as  in  the 
days  of  Moses,  "  brimstone  and  salt ;  it  is  not  sown,  nor  bear- 
eth,  nor  any  grass  groweth  thereon."  Where  the  waters 
occasionally  overflow  their  usual  limit,  a  saline  crust  is  left 
upon  the  surface  of  the  soil,  resembling  hoar-frost  or  snow.' 
The  water  itself,  like  that  of  the  sea,  is  of  a  dark-blue  color, 
shaded  with  green,  according  as  the  light  falls  upon  it,  and 
perfectly  clear.  It  is  much  Salter  than  the  waters  of  the  sea, 
and  has  also  an  unpleasant  bitterness.  An  American  mis- 
sionary who  visited  the  spot  says,  '  The  water  looks  remarkably 
clear  and  pure ;  but  on  taking  it  into  my  mouth  I  found  it 
nauseous  and  bitter,  I  think  beyond  anything  I  ever  tasted. 
My  clothes  were  wet  by  the  waves,  and  as  they  dried  I  found 
them  covered  with  salt.'  As  the  lake  has  no  outlet,  Reland, 
Pococke,  and  other  travellers  have  supposed  that  it  must 
throw  off  its  supei-fluous  water  by  some  subterranean  channel ; 
but  although  it  has  been  calculated  that  the  Jordan  daily  dis- 
charges into  it  six  million  tons  of  water,  besides  what  it 
receives  from  the  Arnon  and  several  smaller  streams,  it  is 
now  known  that  the  loss  by  evaporation  is  adequate  to  ex- 
plain the  absorption  of  the  waters.  Its  occasional  rise  and 
fall  at  certain  seasons,  is  doubtless  owing  to  the  greater  or 
less  volume  which  the  Jordan  and  the  other  streams  bring 
down  from  the  mountains." 

The  whole  biography  of  Lot  reveals  the  unforeseen  issues 
of  an  original  deviation  from  the  paths  of  duty,  holiness  and 
love.     Sin   and  sorrow  and  troubles  followed  him  at  every 


GENESIS   XIX.  161 

stage.  His  history  is  stained  deep  and  dark.  The  brand 
plucked  from  the  burning  retains  indelibly  the  fire-mark. 
"  Search  us,  and  try  us,  0  God,  and  know  our  hearts,  and  see 
if  there  be  any  wicked  way  within  us,  and  lead  us  in  the  way 
everlasting."  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  was  a  child 
of  God;  yet,  as  such,  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning  — 
almost  lost,  yet  altogether  saved.  This  instance  is  a  singu- 
larly instructive  one.  Lot's  is  a  biography  awful  yet  sugges- 
tive ;  God's  mercy  abounds  over  man's  transgression.  It  re- 
veals how  rich  is  the  forbearing  mercy  of  God,  —  how 
awfully  a  saint  walking  carelessly  may  fall.  "  Lead  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil."  "  Guide  us  by  thy 
counsel.     Hold  us  by  thy  right  hand." 


CHAPTER    XX. 

ABRAHAM'S    SIN PATEIAECHAL     JESUITISM ABIMELECH A    CHRIS- 
TIAN  REBUKED   BY   A   HEATHEN. 

We  have  again  to  learn,  in  the  history  of  Abraham,  the  les- 
son that  needs  to  be  deeply  impressed  upon  us,  not  in  order 
merely  to  humble  man,  but  to  exalt  the  Saviour  of  man,  that 
there  is  none,  not  even  the  most  perfect  character,  recorded  in 
the  annals  of  inspiration,  except  One,  who  was  spotless  and 
without  flaw,  or  fault,  or  sin,  in  thought,  word,  or  deed,  in 
the  sight  of  God.  It  is  also  very  important  evidence  of  the 
reality,  and  even  inspiration,  of  the  history  where  those  things 
are  recorded,  and  of  the  divine  influence  on  the  men  who 
recorded  them,  that  they  consented  to  do  so.  Mere  Jews,  de- 
lighting to  exalt  and  magnify  their  nation,  would  not  thus 
have  recorded  the  repeated  sin  of  him  who  was  their  illus- 
trious founder.  It  was  their  boast  that  they  were  Abraham's 
children,  and  if  they  had  had  their  choice,  they  never  would 
have  recorded  Abraham's  faults.  But  the  Bible  is  God's 
book ;  its  records  are  impartial  and  true,  and  it  describes  not 
man  as  romance  writers  delineate  him,  but  just  as  he  is ;  and 
God's  best  men,  as  herein  laid  bare,  show  the  remains  and 
traces  of  many  imperfections,  proving  how  much  there  is  in 
the  best  of  men  for  us  to  forgive,  seeing  there  is  so  much  in 
God's  sight  that  needs  his  forgiveness. 

What  aggravates  the  sin  recorded  in  this  chapter  is  the 
fact  that  this  was  the  second  offence  of  the  same  description 
perpetrated  by  Abraham ;  and  he  seems  in  this  matter  to  have 
sinned  almost  on  a  principle  previously  laid  down  and  con- 


GENESIS   XX.  163 

certed  between  him  and  Sarah.  He  began  his  journey  into 
Egypt  and  the  realms  of  Abimelech,  we  are  told,  after  having 
told  Sarah,  that  wherever  he  wandered  from  his  father's 
house,  "  This  is  thy  kindness  that  thou  shalt  show  me ;  at 
every  place  where  we  shall  come,  say,  He  is  my  brother." 
Now  I  explained,  in  my  remarks  on  a  previous  lesson, 
that,  when  he  went  into  Egypt,  and  said  so,  so  far  it  was 
true,  —  she  was  his  sister  in  the  sense  in  which  Lot  is 
said  to  have  been  his  brother.  Lot  was  his  nephew,  and 
Sarah  was  his  half-niece ;  and  of  course  the  relationship 
subsisting  between  her  and  Abraham  was  what  would  not 
be  tolerated  now,  though,  with  other  similar  things,  it  was 
tolerated  in  the  infancy  of  nations,  as  we  are  told  by  Him 
who  came  to  flilfil  the  law,  and  to  rectify  our  views  of  the 
law,  for  "  the  hardness  of  their  hearts."  AVhile  it  was  true, 
in  the  then  acceptance  of  the  word,  that  she  was  his  sister ; 
yet,  notwithstanding  this,  he  stated  that  she  was  his  sister  in 
order  that  they  who  were  addicted  to  polygamy,  and  might 
wish  to  marry  her,  and  thus  make  Sarah  a  secondary  wife, 
might  not  kill  Abraham  to  get  her.  Sarah  at  this  time  was 
ninety  years  of  age,  and  yet  she  had  the  remains  of  her  pris- 
tine beauty ;  showing  that  human  life  was  then  much  longer 
than  it  is  now,  —  whether  owing  to  the  ordinance  of  God,  or 
to  the  abuse  of  health,  by  the  mischievous  practices  and  bad 
habits  of  man,  it  is  difficult  to  say,  but  so  it  was ;  and  there- 
fore Abraham  called  her  his  sister  to  save  his  life ;  because 
if  they  saw  that  she  was  his  wife,  in  those  days  when  that 
relationship  was  most  revered,  they  would  have  killed  him, 
that  she  might  be  a  widow,  in  order  that  they  might  marry 
her ;  —  a  strange  state  of  society,  where  men,  in  order  to 
avoid  one  sin,  would  perpetrate  another,  and  think  that  the 
justification  of  the  lesser  sin  was  by  committing  the  greater, 
and  that  thus  there  would  be,  according  to  their  calculation, 
little  or  no  crime.  Abraham,  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibil- 
14# 


164  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

itj  of  being  murdered,  said  that  she  was  his  sister,  that  thus 
they  might  marry  her  legitimately,  or  at  least  that  they  might 
not  destroy  him  in  order  that  any  one  charmed  with  Sarah's 
appearance  might  take  her  for  his  wife.  In  other  words,  in 
the  whole  of  this  transaction  he  did  not  look  at  duty,  but  at 
expediency ;  he  wanted,  by  a  skilful  management,  to  secure 
friends  that  God  would  have  secured  for  him  if  he  had  walked 
in  the  path  of  principle,  and  done  what  was  right.  And  it  is 
quite  certain,  too,  that  Abraham  was  not  alone  to  blame,  but 
that  Sarah  connived  at  it,  and  even  sanctioned  the  deception  ; 
for  though  it  was  true  to  the  ear,  it  was  false  to  the  heart, 
because,  when  he  said,  "  She  is  my  sister,"  he  meant  indirectly 
to  convey  that  she  was  not  his  wife ;  and  we  know  that  the 
suppressio  veri  is  often  the  suggestio  falsi.  Concealing  a 
portion  which  is  true,  in  order  to  create  a  conviction  of  some- 
thing that  is  false,  is  alike  unchristian,  unscriptural  and  dis- 
honest. 

Abraham  thus  prevaricated  to  save  his  life,  and  so  far  to 
help  on  what  he  thought  were  the  grand  purposes  and  de- 
signs of  God.  He  believed  that  he  was  to  be  the  forefather 
of  the  Messiah,  and  he  thought  that  if  he  was  slain  such  a 
gi-and  promise  could  not  be  fulfilled  !  —  and  so,  poor  man,  he 
tried  in  his  folly  to  help  God  to  fulfil  his  promise.  He 
thought  that  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  was  so  precious  a 
thing,  that  any  sin  would  be  forgiven  which  should  lead  to  so 
desirable  and  blessed  a  result.  Jesuitism  is  thus  seen  to 
have  been  very  ancient.  Such  was  the  imperfection  of  a 
patriarch's  life,  such  the  depravity  still  remaining  in  the 
heart  of  the  father  of  the  faithful. 

We  read,  next,  of  the  conduct  of  Abimclech,  when  he  dis- 
covered that  Sarah  was  Al)raham's  wife.  Abimclech  is  com- 
posed of  the  words  Ahba-Mclech,  that  is,  Father-King.  And 
it  seems  to  contain  the  germ  of  the  true  idea  of  kingship,  that 
it  should  not  be  merely  the  despotism  of  a  ruler,  but  also  the 


GENESIS   XX.  165 

affectionate  care  of  a  loving  father.  The  father  and  the  king 
should  be  welded  into  one,  in  order  to  constitute  the  perfection 
of  a  Christian  ruler.  Abimelech's  words  show  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  ruin  of  Sbdom ;  for  he  said,  "  Wilt  thou  slay 
also  a  righteous  nation  ?  "  showing  that  he  recollected  that 
God  had  destroyed  a  guilty  one.  And  he  said,  "  Wilt  thou 
also  lay  upon  its  ruins  a  city  that  has  not  thus  sinned  ? " 

God  said,  "  I  have  withheld  thee  from  sinning."  How 
humbling  is  that  to  all !  Who  knows,  whatever  class  or  party 
he  belongs  to,  how  much  he  is  indebted,  not  to  his  own  force 
of  principle,  but  to  God's  providential  restraint,  in  keeping 
him  from  sinning  ?  It  may  be  written  over  the  periods  of  our 
life  in  which  we  take  the  greatest  credit,  and  the  achieve- 
ments of  which  we  are  most  proud,  "  I  withheld  thee  from 
sinning."  The  most  innocent  in  this  assembly,  who  does  not 
know  the  gospel,  or  love  or  fear  God,  little  knows  how  much 
he  is  indebted  to  the  unseen  and  unacknowledged  restraint  of 
God's  providential  care  for  the  position  he  now  fills,  and  the 
character  which  he  now  sustains,  and  the  faultlessness  which 
probably  he  prides  himself  on  and  glories  in. 

God  told  Abimelech  that  Abraham  would  pray  for  him. 
This  did  not  mean  that  Abraham,  as  an  interceding  saint  in 
heaven,  would  pray  for  Abimelech,  but  would  pray  for  him  as 
a  prophet  upon  earth.  "  I  will,"  says  the  apostle,  "  that 
prayers  and  intercessions  be  offered  up  for  all  men ;  "  and  the 
apostle  also  says,  "  Pray  for  us."  But  because  a  Christian 
on  earth  prays  for  a  brother  upon  earth,  that  does  not  prove, 
to  say  the  very  least  of  it,  that  a  saint  in  heaven  does  pray 
for  a  sinner  or  a  sufferer  upon  earth ;  —  it  may  be  so,  but  this 
does  not  prove  it. 

In  the  next  place,  Abimelech's  address  to  Abraham,  when 
he  found  out  Abraham's  prevarication,  was  extremely  beau- 
tiful. In  fact,  one  would  say,  that  Abimelech's  character 
eclipsed  by  its  beautiful  splendor  the  conduct  and  the  charae- 


166  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

ter  of  Abraham.  How  often  do  we  find  still,  on  the  Royal 
Exchange,  that  the  merchant  who  does  not  pretend  to  Chris- 
tianity has  a  keen  and  delicate  sense  of  honor  and  integrity, 
that  ought  to  make  professing  Christian  men  blush  beside  it ! 
How  often  do  we  find  an  honor,  a  manliness,  an  integrity,  in 
unconverted  men,  that  are  not  displayed  by  many  who  make 
very  loud  professions,  wear  a  very  solemn  countenance,  and  go 
three  times  a  day  to  the  house  of  God  !  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  this  proves  that  those  excellent  men  of  high-toned 
integrity  do  not  want  Christianity ;  it  only  proves  that  if 
we  be  Christians  we  should  not  come  behind  them.  Excellent 
as  these  traits  are,  yet,  in  order  to  be  saved,  they  need  to  be 
taught  not  to  lean  upon  them,  as  they  too  probably  do,  but 
upon  Him  in  whom  the  greatest  saint  and  the  greatest  sinner 
must  equally  and  altogether  trust  for  mercy,  sanctification  and 
forgiveness.  Abimelech  addi-essed  Abraham  in  language  ex- 
tremely quiet,  courteous,  affectionate,  almost  Christian.  He 
might  have  been  exasperated  at  the  deception  practised  upon 
him.  He  might  have  spoken  to  Abraham  in  language  of 
severe  recrimination  and  unmitigated  reproach  ;  but  he  did 
not  do  so, — he  restrained  his  anger ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that 
Abraham  felt  most  deeply  humbled  by  seeing  so  mild,  so 
beautiful,  so  forbearing  a  response  to  so  sinful,  so  wicked,  and 
so  unjustifiable  a  prevarication. 

This  reiterated  sin,  as  I  have  said  already,  seems  to  have 
been  adopted  by  Abraham  as  deliberate  policy ;  but,  although 
it  occurred  for  the  second  time,  it  does  not  occur  again.  Xo 
doubt  he  was  brought  to  see  it  in  its  right  light,  and  probably 
by  the  rebuke  administered  by  Abimelech  he  was  made  re- 
pentant for  it.  And  Abimelech,  too,  reproached  Sarah  in  a 
very  delicate  but  sharp  way.  He  said,  "  Behold,  I  have  given 
thy  brother  "  —  therein  was  the  sarcasm.  "  You,  Sarah,  con- 
nived at  Abraham's  sin,  by  calling  yourself  his  sister,  and  you 
called  him  your  brother,  Well,  Sarah,  I  have  given  thy  brother 


GENESIS   XX.  167 

a  thousand  pieces  of  silver ;  behold,  he  is  to  thee  a  covering  of 
the  eyes  unto  all  that  are  with  thee,  and  with  all  other ;  " 
that  is,  "  you  are  safe  enough  now."  And  it  is  added  very 
truly,  "  thus  she  was  reproved."  He  did  not  say  one  word  of 
reproof  more  than,  "  thy  brother."  He  thus  showed  her  that 
he  saw  through  the  deception  she  had  attempted ;  and  he 
wished  to  show  at  the  same  time  that  she,  a  professing  Chris- 
tian, was  thus  capable  of  deceiving  one  who  made  no  preten- 
sions to  Christianity ;  and  thus  the  least  enlightened  rebuked 
the  loudest  professor,  and  Abraham  and  Sarah  went  home 
humbler  persons  that  night  than  when  they  left  their  dwelling 
in  the  morning. 

May  we  have  the  faith  without  the  faults  of  Abraham. 
May  the  Spirit  so  sanctify  and  enlighten  us,  that  we  may 
learn  to  discriminate,  and  follow  Abraham  as  far  as  he  fol- 
lowed him  who  said,  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am." 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

BIRTH   OF  ISAAC  —  HIS  CIRCUMCISION — SARAH'S  LAUGHTER  —  THE  DIS- 
MISSAL    OF     HAGAR ISHMAEL'S     THIRST GOD    IN    THE     DESERT 

GROVES  AND   CATHEDRALS. 

We  now  come  to  the  actual  history  of  the  fulfilment  of  an, 
ancient  promise  made  to  Abraham,  often  renewed,  and  in  cir- 
cumstances of  great  and  impressive  solemnity.  We  learn, 
from  what  the  historian  records  as  fact,  how  faithful  God  ever 
is,  and  ever  has  been,  to  the  least  and  greatest  of  the  prom- 
ises which  he  himself  has  given.  These  promises  seem  to 
involve  impossibilities  ;  but,  just  because  they  were  promises, 
nothing  can  be  impossible  for  God  to  do,  or  improbable  to 
expect,  which,  in  his  own  blessed  word,  he  has  actually  made 
promise  of.  He  said  that  Sarah  in  old  age  should  have  a 
son  ;  and  that  son,  in  the  fulness  of  the  time,  was  born  unto 
her,  and  his  name,  we  are  told,  was  called  Isaac ;  that  is, 
laughter,  merriment,  or  joy  ;  or  it  may  be  called  good  7ieivs, 
as  if  it  were  an  anticipatory  accent  of  that  real  good  news 
which,  in  the  fulness  of  the  times,  sounded  from  the  skies, 
when  angels  sang,  "  Unto  you  is  born  this  day  a  Saviour,  who 
is  Christ  the  Lord." 

Abraham  took  Isaac,  and  admitted  him,  by  an  outward 
rite,  into  what  we  believe  was  the  outward  and  visible  com- 
munion of  the  people  of  God,  or  enrolled  his  name  amid  the 
worshippers  of  God  by  a  rite  or  ceremony  which  I  have  ever 
felt  corresponded  in  that  dispensation  in  its  application  to  the 
ceremony,  or  sacrament,  or  rite,  of  baptism  in  the  Christian 
Church. 


GENESIS   XXI.  169 

"We  read  again,  in  the  fifth  verse,  that  Abraham  was  a  hun- 
dred years  old  when  this  child  was  born  unto  him.  The 
child,  then,  was  not  the  offspring  of  nature,  according  to  the 
laws  of  nature,  but  the  unexpected  child  of  grace,  and  the 
exponent  of  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise,  given  by  the  God  of 
grace  to  Abraham. 

Sarah  says,  in  the  sixth  verse,  "  God  hath  made  me  to 
laugh,  so  that  all  that  hear  will  laugh  with  me."  You  recol- 
lect that  when  the  promise  was  made,  Sarah,  in  her  tent, 
overheard  the  promise,  and  laughed  at  it.  The  thing  was  so 
incredible  to  her,  that  she  laughed  at  the  very  announcement 
of  it,  as  impossible  and  absurd;  and  she  now  says,  with  great 
emphasis,  referring  to  her  laughter,  "With  incredulity,"  she 
says,  "  I  laughed,  in  unbelief;  but  God  has  made  me  to 
laugh  in  reality.  I  find  that  my  laughter  before  was  the 
laughter  of  unbelief;  my  laughter  or  my  joy  now  is  that  of 
delight,  and  gratitude,  and  faith  in  God,  for  he  has  made 
even  me,  —  incredulous  as  I  am  and  was,  —  God  has  made  me 
to  laugh  and  be  glad,  as  well  as  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
child." 

She  next  exclaimed,  "  Who  would  have  said  unto  Abraham 
that  Sarah  should  have  given  children  suck?  for  I  have 
borne  him  a  son  in  his  old  age,"  —  repeating  the  cause  of 
her  laughter,  and  explaining  how  remarkable  it  was,  and  how 
truly  it  became  her  to  recognize  this  son  Isaac,  not  as 
nature's  gift,  but  as  grace's  special  and  peculiar  boon ;  as  a 
fact  above  nature,  and  therefore  a  miracle. 

Ishmael  persecuted  Isaac.  Ishmael  was  the  son  of  the 
bondwoman,  or  the  secondary  wife  of  Abraham;  for  you  must 
recollect  that  Hagar  was  as  truly  Abraham's  wife  as  was 
Sarah,  being  then  what  was  called  a  secondary  wife,  publicly 
recognized,  and  married  to  Abraham  under  a  state  and  a 
dispensation  in  which,  according  to  the  language  of  •ur  Lord, 
this  was  tolerated  for  the  hardness  of  their  hearts.     Things 


170  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

"were  permitted  in  the  infancy  of  society  which  have  been 
prohibited  or  stopped  in  its  maturity.  In  fact,  society  in  the 
mass  has  been  very  much  like  the  individual ;  things  are  per- 
mitted or  overlooked  in  childhood,  which  are  neither  per- 
mitted nor  overlooked  in  maturer  years;  and  it  is  quite 
plain,  from  reading  this  book,  which  gives  us  the  biography 
of  humanity,  as  a  whole,  that  arrangements  were  tolerated, 
if  not  applauded,  in  the  earliest  stages  of  society,  which  were 
not  so  in  its  riper  and  its  maturer  years.  In  this  matter 
of  Abraham's  marriage  to  two  wives,  it  was  God  who  toler- 
ated it.  It  is  the  law  of  God  that  makes  it  sin  now  ;  and  when 
the  great  Legislator  speaks,  all  dispute  or  doubt  about  the 
morality  or  immorality  of  an  action  is  put  an  end  to.  Ish- 
mael,  it  is  said,  mocked  at  Isaac.  Thus,  whilst  God  states 
the  fact  of  polygamy,  he  states  the  consequences,  the  perplex- 
ities, the  ills  of  it.  Here  Ishmael,  who  was  then  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  found  that  he  was  likely  to'be  supplanted, 
and  Hagar  saw  that  she  might  not  now  occupy  the  prominent 
place  which  she  thought  she  had  secured  in  preference  to 
Sarah,  Conflict,  antagonism,  envy,  jealousy,  broke  out. 
Ishmael  naturally  vindicated  and  took  the  part  of  his  mother 
Hagar,  who  had  probably  been  despised  by  Sarah,  whose 
temper  was  not  of  the  happiest  kind  constitutionally.  The 
son  of  the  bondwoman,  seeing  his  mother  Hagar  not  treated 
kindly,  mocked  at  Isaac,  the  son  of  promise ;  and  the  conse- 
quence was,  that  Sarah  came  and  said,  "  Cast  out  the  bond- 
woman." If  Abraham  had  been  an  unsanctified  man,  he 
would  have  said,  "  Sarah,  you  were  the  person  who  recom- 
mended her  introduction ;  why  should  you  now  advise  her 
being  cast  out  ?  If  she  has  been  unkind  to  you,  you  ought 
to  remember  that  you  proposed  her  admittance ;  and,  there- 
fore, you  must  put  up  with  the  results  that  follow  from  my 
having  dqpe  what  you  recommended  at  the  beginning."  But 
she  saw  her  fault,  —  the  inconveniences,  the  practical  incon- 


GENESIS    XXI.  171 

veniences,  of  her  early  recommendation,  —  and,  taught  by 
better  experience,  she  now  says,  "  Cast  out  the  bondwoman." 
Abraham  hesitated  ;  it  was  painful  to  do  so ;  but  he  was  told 
by  God  that  it  was  right  before  Him,  and  his  doing  so  was  not 
cruelty  to  Hagar,  but  a  legal  necessity,  in  order  to  exclude 
Ishmael  from  the  inheritance,  that  Isaac,  the  son  of  promise, 
who  was  the  right  inheritor,  might  possess  that  inheritance. 
He,  therefore,  gives  to  Hagar  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  water,  or, 
as  it  in  all  probability  was,  a  sheepskin  of  water ^  being  the 
skin  of  an  animal,  that  was  then  used  instead  of  modern 
glass;  and,  in  a  sultry  climate, and  to  travel  over  a  long  des- 
ert, a  larger  quantity  of  water  than  any  sized  bottle  that  we 
can  imagine  could  hold,  was  necessary  for  her. 

The  poor  mother,  thus  driven  forth,  set  out  toward  the  wide 
wilderness,  without  the  utterance  of  a  murmur  or  complaint, 
taking  the  lad  with  her.  The  water  in  the  bottle  was  soon 
spent ;  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  thirst  came  on ;  she  laid  the 
child,  or  the  lad,  under  the  shrubs.  He  was  a  youth,  a  strip- 
ling, probably  fourteen  years  of  age.  "  And  she  went,  and 
sat  her  down  over  against  him,  a  good  way  off,  as  it  were  a 
bowshot ;  for  she  said.  Let  me  not  see  the  death  of  the  child." 
The  lad  began  clearly  to  faint  first.  It  is  not  the  strongest 
that  endure  the  longest  fatigue  and  the  greatest  exhaustion ; 
for  she  remained  strong,  when  the  lad,  probably  from  his 
rapid  growth,  from  his  constitution  not  being  formed,  and 
settled,  and  vigorous,  fainted  from  hunger  and  thirst  in  the 
midst  of  the  sultry  desert.  I  think  the  picture  is  worthy  of 
a  master's  pencil ;  that  sketch,  that  beautiful  picture,  where 
she  hid  her  eyes,  and  sat  at  a  distance,  that  she  might  not 
gaze  at  the  expiring  agonies  of  the  son  for  whom  she  had 
suffered  so  much,  and  whose  exile  and  banishment  she  pitied 
so  truly. 

But,  in  this  state,  "  God  heard  the  voice  of  the  lad."  How 
beautiful  is  this,  that  in  that  desert  the  cry  of  that  lad 
15 


172  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

reached  the  ear  of  the  Lord  of  hosts !  God  was  watching 
over  him.  We  think  a  desert  is  destitute  of  Deity  because 
it  is  destitute  of  civilisation ;  but  it  is  not  so.  God  is  as 
much  in  the  desert,  and  sees  and  hears  every  sound  amid  its 
silence,  as  he  is  in  the  throng  and  the  bustle  of  the  populous 
city.  You  recollect  the  beautiful  instance  in  the  history  of 
Mungo  Park.  When  travelling  in  a  parched  and  sunburnt 
and  scorched  desert,  after  he  had  given  up  all  for  lost,  and 
felt  that  he  must  lie  down  and  die,  just  on  the  spot  where  he 
sat  down,  he  saw  a  little  flower,  with  its  tints  as  beautiful  as 
under  the  shelter  and  the  shadow  of  his  own  Scottish  hills,^ 
and  as  fragrant  and  sweet  as  if  it  had  grown  in  the  most 
beautiful  garden  in  the  choicest  spot  of  his  own  land.  Gazing 
at  it,  he  thought,  if  God  condescends  to  feed  with  his  dews 
this  flower,  and  to  pencil  these  tints,  and  to  give  it  life  and 
vitality  here,  where  few  eyes  can  see  it,  then  there  is  a  God 
in  the  wilderness;  also.  He  that  takes  care  of  a  little  flower 
will  not  forget  and  forsake  me.  And  he  took  heart  again, 
and  set  out  on  his  march,  and  was  strong  to  do  and  to  dare, 
because  the  thought  of  a  present  and  protecting  God  was 
realized  by  him. 

I  need  not  refer  to  the  promise  that  God  made  to  Ishmael, 
as  I  have  explained  it  already :  "  I  will  make  him  a  great 
nation;  "  and  he  grew  in  the  wilderness,  and  became,  as  you 
are  aware,  the  founder  of  the  Arabs.  It  appears  that  at  this 
time  Abraham  was  in  the  kingdom  of  Abimelech,  and  that 
Abimelech  and  his  subjects  had  done  some  mischief  to  Abra- 
ham, because  of  a  well  of  water,  which  Abimelech's  servants 
had  violently  taken  away,  and  Abraham  came  to  him  and 
reminded  him  of  this  act,  and  asked  for  such  compensation  as 
was  proper;  and  Abimelech  made  the  right  apology,  and 
explained  that  it  was  not  done  with  his  consent.  Wells  of 
water,  in  eastern  and  hot  climates,  are  of  course  of  very  great 
importance ;  and  hence,  to  stop  the  wells  of  a  country,  or  to 


GENESIS    XXI.  173 

lead  away  the  water  from  the  wells  of  a  country,  is  an  act 
of  the  greatest  hostility  to  its  population. 

We  read  that  Abraham  made  a  grove,  after  this  expression 
of  amity  with  Abimelech,  and  called  there  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord.  It  is  very  curious  to  notice  how  the  first  sanctua- 
ries seem  to  have  been  woods,  forests  and  groves.  And  it  is 
equally  remarkable  to  notice  how,  after  they  were  used  for 
true  and  spiritual  worship,  they  came  to  be  employed  exclu- 
sively for  idolatry;  so  much  so,  that  in  the  rest  of  this 
blessed  book  you  will  hear  God  often  commanding  them 
utterly  to  pull  down  the  groves,  because  those  groves  had 
been  made  places  where  idols  were  worshipped.  The  brass 
serpent  was  made  by  God's  command,  its  healing  virtue  was 
given  by  God  himself,  and  the  people  were  divinely  told  to 
look  at  it.  But  after  it  had  served  its  purpose,  the  same 
people  tried  to  make  a  god  of  it.  In  this  instance  men  took 
that  which  was  true  and  good  originally,  and  made  such  a 
bad  use  of  it,  that  God  commanded  it  to  be  ground  to  powder 
as  ne-hushtan,  "  a  thing  of  vanity,  and  as  nothing."  These 
grove  sanctuaries  came  to  be  desecrated,  and  therefore  he 
commanded  them  all  to  be  pulled  down.  One  can  see  in 
these  groves  the  first  idea  of  a  cathedral.  Let  any  one  stand 
in  a  lofty  avenue  of  oaks,  with  their  branches  intertwining 
and  interlacing,  and  he  will  see  the  nave  of  a  Gothic  cathe- 
dral. The  tracery  on  the  roof,  the  groined  arches,  the  col- 
umns, and  the  pillars  with  their  picturesque  capitals,  all  is 
but  man  trying  to  embody  in  the  stone  what  nature  has  so 
magnificently  developed  in  her  forests,  and  to  perpetuate  a 
grove  of  stone  as  a  memorial  still  of  the  first  sanctuaries  in 
which  men  worshipped. 

"  Against  the  clouds,  far  up  the  skies. 
The  walls  of  the  cathedral  rise, 
Like  a  mysterious  grove  of  stones." — Longfellow, 


174  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Hence,  also,  the  Druids  and  the  Druid  temples  all  were 
instances  of  the  early  purpose  to  which  groves  and  forests 
were  applied,  that  is,  for  worship ;  and  when  one  thinks  of 
the  silence  and  the  solemnity  of  primeval  forests,  one  can  see 
how  naturally  man  would  have  recourse  to  them  to  worship  ; 
but  when  we  see  how  sadly  they  were  abused,  one  feels  how 
easily  the  best  things  maybe  perverted,  and  God's  own  divine 
institutions  turned  into  objects  of  sin  and  of  folly. 

l^ut,  blessed  be  God,  neither  in  this  mountain  nor  in  that, 
neither  in  grove  or  cathedral  only,  is  worship  acceptable  to 
God.  He  is  worshipped  truly,  and  the  worship  is  accepted, 
wherever  he  is  approached  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

god's     command  —  THE    PATRIARCH'S    OBEDIENCE  —  THE    JOUBNET    TO 
MORIAH THE   LAMB   SLAIN   FROM   THE   FOUNDATION   OF   THE   WORLD. 

I  WOULD  offer  a  very  few  remarks  upon  the  intensely  inter- 
esting sketch  which  is  contained  in  this  chapter ;  a  sketch, 
however,  that  is  a  shadow  of  a  far  greater  and  more  glorious 
event,  consummated  in  the  fulness  of  the  times,  when  "  God 
so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  him  might  not  perish,  but  have  eter- 
nal life." 

Let  us  ponder  how  painful  to  Abraham,  and  unex- 
pected, must  have  been  the  command  addressed  to  him  here 
by  his  God  :  "  Take  now  thy  son,  thine  only  son  Isaac,  whom 
thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into  the  land  of  Moriah ;  and  offer 
him  there  for  a  burnt-offering."  It  was  after,  you  recollect, 
he  had  been  told  that  in  old  age  there  should  be  born  to  him 
a  son,  and  after  he  had  thought  for  a  season  that  Ishmael 
was  that  son,  and,  disappointed  in  him,  had  received  Isaac 
as  the  son  of  promise,  his  only  son,  and  the  only  one  that  was 
born  to  him,  and  the  only  apparently  possible  channel  through 
whom  and  by  whom  might  be  sent  the  Messiah,  in  whom  ail 
the  families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  After  disap- 
pointment on  disappointment,  after  darkness  deepening  into 
darkness,  at  last  Isaac  the  son  of  promise  is  born.  The  patri- 
arch's joy  is  perfect,  his  expectancy  is  at  its  highest  pitch  ; 
all  is  sunshine  without  and  brightness  within.  But,  in  the 
midst  of  this,  the  voice  of  Him  who  made  him  leave  the  land 
of  Ur,  and  go  to  the  land  that  He  would  show  him,  sounds 
15=^ 


17G  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

from  the  skies,  and  says  to  him,  "  Take  now  thy  son  ; "  and, 
as  if  to  make  it  more  emphatic,  "  thine  only  son ;  "  and,  as  if 
still  more  to  convey  the  greatness  of  the  sacrifice,  "thine 
only  son  Isaac,^^  —  whose  very  name  is  joy,  and  whose  birth 
has  been  to  thee  a  spring  of  joy — "take  thy  son,  thine 
only  son  Isaac ;  "  and,  as  if  still  further  to  deepen  the  pain 
of  the  requirement,  "whom  thou  lovest,  and  get  thee  into 
the  land  of  Moriah,  and" — without  any  expectation  of 
popular  applause,  or  any  credit  for  patriotic  devotedness, 
or  any  assignable  reason,  except  my  command  —  "offer  him 
there,"  by  slaying  him,  "  for  a  burnt-offering,  upon  one  of 
the  mountains  which  I  will  tell  thee  of."  What  a  myste- 
rious command  was  this!  One  would  have  thought  that 
Abraham  would  have  said,  Is  it  possible  that  this  can  be 
God's  voice  ?  Does  it  not  seem  as  if  God  contradicted  him- 
self? Does  it  not  look  as  if  he  made  a  promise  only  to  break 
it,  or  perform  the  first  part  of  his  promise  only  to  lead  to  the 
utter  failure  of  that  which  was  the  burden,  and  the  subject, 
and  the  object  of  the  promise  ?  He  might  have  said,  and 
with  reason,  AYhat  will  the  world  say  of  me  ?  What  will 
Sarah,  his  mother,  say  ?  What  excuse  shall  I  offer  ?  What 
will  all  mankind  say,  as  they  read  this  strange  and  awful  his- 
tory ?  But  the  answer  was  the  obedience  of  fjiith.  Abra- 
ham knew  that  the  God  that  gave  Isaac  was  the  God  that 
required  the  sacrifice,  and  he  felt,  if  he  did  not  say,  "  The 
Lord  gave  him,  and  the  Lord  takes  him  away ;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

The  expression  which  is  here  employed,  in  the  first  verse, 
God  did  tempt  Abraham,  has  been  sometimes  misconstrued. 
We  associate  with  the  word  tempt,  inducement  to  sin ;  but 
that  is  not  the  meaning  either  of  the  original  Hebrew  or  of 
the  Greek  in  the  New  Testament,  when  and  wherever  it  is 
employed;  for  the  word  tempt  is  the  same  word  as  try  —  it  is 
the  word  used  in  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-ninth  Psalm, 


GENESIS   XXII.  177 

*  Search  me  and  tempt  me,  0  God  ;  "  by  which  you  do  not 
mean  tempt  me  to  sin,  but  you  mean,  as  it  is  there  translated, 
"  Search  me,  0  God,  and  try  me  "  —  make  experiment,  make 
proof  of  me,  —  "  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me." 
But,  you  say.  Why  did  God  thus  try  or  tempt  Abraham  ? 
Not  that  God  needed  to  know  what  was  in  Abraham's  heart, 
or  that  God  needed  to  gauge  what  was  the  depth  of  Abra- 
ham's devotedness,  but  that  the  church  in  future  ages  needed 
to  have  a  standing  memorial  of  what  great  things  faith  could 
dare,  what  dear  things  faith  could  surrender,  what  painful 
things  faith  could  go  through,  that  we  might  be  Abraham's 
children  by  faith,  leaving  all  we  love  behind,  facing  all  we 
fear  before,  for  this  reason  only,  and  for  no  other,  that  God 
bids  us. 

Abraham  took  the  wood  and  the  burnt-offering ;  and  he 
went  to  the  place  which  God  had  told  him  of.  And  on  the 
third  day  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  place ;  and  he 
told  his  servants  to  abide  at  the  foot  of  the  mount  while  he 
went  up.  He  then  laid  the  wood  upon  his  son  Isaac,  took 
the  fire  in  his  hand,  and  a  knife,  as  if  he  had  already  a  lamb 
for  a  sacrifice ;  and  then  Isaac  said,  as  if  acquainted  with 
the  nature  of  patriarchal  worship,  "  My  father ;  and  he  said, 
Here  am  I,  my  son.  And  he  said.  Behold  the  fire  and 
the  wood;  " — I  understand  that ;  but  there  is  some  great  gap 
in  this  day's  proceedings,  there  is  some  want  in  this  day's 
worship ;  I  have  seen  each  day  more  than  this  ;  —  "  where  is 
the  lamb  for  a  burnt-ofi"ering  ?  "  There  are  the  signs  of  sac- 
rifice, but  where  is  the  substance  ?  There  is  the  form,  but 
where  is  the  life  ?  There  is  here  the  ritual,  but  we  need 
something  to  make  that  ritual  real ;  "  where  is  the  lamb  for 
a  burnt- ofiering  ?  And  Abraham  said,"  in  awful,  but  to 
Isaac  mysterious  accents,  "  My  son,  God  will  provide  himself 
a  lamb  for  a  burnt-ofi'ering ;  so  they  went  both  of  them 
together."  •  Isaac,  beautiful  in  his  silence,  as  Abraham  was 


]78  SCRIPTL'RE    KFAriNGS. 

strong  in  his  faith  :  the  one,  all  the  patience  that  submits  to 
pain  and  complains  not;  the  other,  all  the  heroism  that 
engages  in  an  awful  sacrifice,  a  painful  duty,  and  hesitates  not. 
"Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  took  the  knife  to 
slay  his  son.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  (for  he  had  done 
all  that  was  required)  called  unto  him  out  of  heaven,  and 
said,  Abraham,  Abraham.  And  he  said,  Here  am  I.  And 
he  said,  Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou 
anything  unto  him ;  for  now  I  know%"  and  I  have  made  it 
known,  "  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  that  thou  hast  not 
withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  from  me.  And  Abraham 
lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked,  and  behold  behind  him  a  ram 
caught  in  a  thicket  by  his  horns ;  and  Abraham  went  and 
took  the  ram,  and  offered  him  up  for  a  burnt-offering  in  the 
stead  of  his  son.  And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that 
place  Jehovah-jireh,  as  it  is  said  to  this  day.  In  the  mount 
of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen,"  or,  "  in  the  mount  of  the  Lord 
it  shall  be  provided."  And  that  provision  is  described, 
Isaiah  53,  when  we  are  told,  "  He  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to 
the  slaughter,  and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so 
he  openeth  not  his  mouth."  "  On  him  the  Lord  hath  laid  the 
iniquities  of  us  all ;  he  hath  borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our 
sorrows ;  he  bare  the  sin  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for 
the  transgressors." 

To  Abraham  was  repeated  the  promise  to  which  he  had 
frequently  listened  before  —  that  in  his  seed  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  should  be  blessed. 

God  rewards  in  time  noble  and  obedient  sacrifices.  He 
reigns,  and  sees  what  his  servants  do,  and  dare,  and  suffer  for 
him.  His  word  is,  "  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
his  righteousness,  and  all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto 
you."     "Them  that  honor  me  I  will  honor." 


JEHOVAH-JIREH.  — GEN.   XXII.   14. 

Abraham  brouglit  his  son  to  the  mountain  top.  Isaac  said, 
with  perfect  innocence,  but  with  natural  truth  and  justice, 
"Here  is  the  fire,  and  here  is  the  wood,"  —  that  is,  here  are 
all  the  elements  of  a  sacrifice,  —  "  but  where  is  the  lamb  ?  " 
or  the  victim  to  be  consumed  by  the  fire,  and  presented  to 
God  as  a  burnt-ofifering.  The  reply  of  Abraham  was  mild, 
yet  decisive,  and  in  some  degree  not  communicative,  —  it 
was,  "  My  son,  God  will  provide  himself  a  lamb  ;  "  as  if  he 
had  said,  "  That  is  no  matter  of  ours ;  it  is  ours  to  find  the 
fuel ;  it  is  ours  to  ignite  it  from  the  flame ;  it  is  God's  to 
provide  what  God  will  accept,  a  burnt-ofi'ering,  or  a  lamb  for 
a  sacrifice."  "  My  son,  God  will  provide  himself  a  lamb  for 
a  burnt-offering." 

That  provision  was  fulfilled  on  Calvary,  a  crag  or  a  swell- 
ing part  of  Mount  Moriah,  on  which  Christ  was  crucified,  the 
Lamb  for  the  true  sacrifice  and  burnt-offering. 

What  a  blessed  thought!  Jehovah-jireh  —  the  Lord  will 
provide.  What  a  blessed  pledge  to  true  Christians  who  fear ! 
What  an  encouraging  promise  to  weak  ones  who  faint !  This 
is  one  feature  in  the  character  of  God  —  He  will  provide. 
It  is  remarkable  enough,  that  some  of  the  most  beautifuil  and 
pregnant  characters  of  God  arose  in  ancient  times  from  what 
may  be  called  by  the  world  accidental,  from  what  may  be 
called,  in  a  right  sense,  incidental  circumstances. 

The  epithet  in  the  text,  and  others,  arose  from  what  may 
be  called  incidental  circumstances  ;  but  they  were  the  means 
of  developing  or  making  known  new  traits  in  the  character 


180  SCKIPTUKE    READINGS. 

of  God,  — traits  which  are  to  his  people,  in  every  age,  as 
bright  beams  shining  in  a  dark  place,  —  making  more  plain, 
or,  at  least,  more  bright  and  beautiful,  the  way  that  leads  to 
heaven,  and  happiness,  and  glory. 

What  is  meant  b}'  this  expression,  "  The  Lord  -will,  pro- 
vide ?  "  It  has  its  special  application  to  the  provision  of  the 
lamb ;  but  the  special  application  is  only  the  basis  of  a  gen- 
eral one,  "  The  Lord  will  provide."  Whatever  be  the  want 
that  is  deepest,  the  Lord  will  fill  it ;  whatever  be  the  trial 
that  is  bitterest,  the  Lord  will  provide  something  in  it,  or 
through  it,  or  by  it,  that  will  make  it  good  to  them  that  feel 
it.  In  other  words,  it  is  a  provision  that  will  in  all  times 
be  seasonable,  that  will  in  the  worst  emergency  be  effectual ; 
and  all  that  God  asks  of  us  is  just  to  believe  it,  and  to  act 
upon  it,  and  be  at  peace.  If  I  might  translate  this,  which 
is  a  scriptural  proverb,  into  another,  which  may  be  called  a 
secular  proverb,  it  would  be,  "  Man's  extremity  is  God's 
opportunity."  "  The  Lord  will  provide;  "  or,  "  In  the  mount 
of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen." 

I  need  not  say  that  some  have  viewed  it,  and  especially 
ancient  commentators,  in  another  light.  They  have  thought 
the  words  "  Jehovah -jireh  "  ought  to  be  translated,  "  In  the 
mount  the  Lord  shall  be  seen."  In  our  marginal  translation 
it  is,  "  The  Lord  will  see,  or  provide ;  "  and  in  our  version 
it  is,  "  In  the  mount  of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen  ; "  but  it 
may,  I  believe,  be  accurately  enough  rendered,  "  In  the 
mount  of  the  Lord  shall  be  seen  ;  "  and  if  that  be  a  prophecy, 
then  the  fulfilment  of  it  occurred  on  Calvary,  when  Jesus, 
the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  was  nailed  to  the  cross; 
and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and  Latin,  "  This 
is  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews."  On  that  very 
mount  he  was  crucified  ;  on  that  very  mount  the  true  Lamb 
suffered  —  the  real  burnt-offering  was  made ;  and  God  was 


GENESIS    XXII.  181 

seen  to  be,  and  proved  to  be,  just,  while  he  justified  through 
Him  the  chiefest  of  sinners  that  believe  in  his  name. 

But,  taking  the  words,  as  I  have  said,  in  their  broad  and 
wide  sense,  in  what  respects  may  we  expect  that  the  Lord 
will  provide  for  his  people  ?  This  last  is  the  literal  and  the 
strict  meaning,  and  it  is  only  the  short  epitome  of  a  thousand 
analogous  promises,  scattered  over  the  Bible  like  stars  over 
a  winter  sky.  "The  Lord  will  provide."  What  will  he 
provide  for  his  people  ?  He  will  provide  for  them,  at  least, 
daily  bread.  He  bids  them  ask  for  it ;  and  can  God  bid  his 
people  ask  of  him  anything  that  he  will  not  give  ?  I  do  not 
believe  it.  Wherever  God  inspires  a  prayer,  there  there  is 
a  purpose  to  answer.  Whenever  a  special  prayer  is  by  some 
strange  and  mysterious  accident,  as  you  call  it,  or  association, 
that  you  cannot  get  rid  of,  brought  home  to  your  heart,  and 
you  are  taught  and  led  to  pray  that  prayer,  it  is  a  pledge 
and  an  earnest  that  God  will  answer  it.  He  inspires  the 
prayer  he  means  to  answer ;  and  the  very  fact  that  you  pray 
for  a  special  blessing  is  in  itself  a  pledge  from  Heaven  that 
God  will  bestow  that  blessing.  Now,  he  bids  us  pray,  "  Give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread  ;  "  and  as  sure  as  we  pray  it,  so 
sure  he  hears  it,  and  we  may  say,  when  we  have  prayed  it, 
"  The  Lord  will  provide  all  that  is  good  and  expedient  for  us." 

He  will  provide  for  us,  too,  support  in  the  midst  of  our 
trials.  Nobody  is  without  trials.  That  man  would  be  a 
phenomenon  who  had  none.  He  who  has  fewest  trials  has 
fewest  signatures  upon  him  that  he  is  God's  child ;  for  "  what 
son  is  he  whom  the  Lord  chasteneth  not  ? "  If  we  were 
without  chastisement,  we  should  not  be  sons.  And  our 
trials,  instead  of  being  discouragements,  ought  to  be  regarded 
by  us  as  special  hints,  as  secret  revelations  from  God,  that 
he  has  purposes  of  love  and  good  concerning  us.  Li  these 
trials,  the  bitterest,  the  longest,  and  the  heaviest,  he  will 
either  provide  an  escape  for  the  excess  that  we  cannot  boar, 


182  SCIlIPTUKi:    READINGS. 

or  he  will  perfect,  in  the  midst  of  them,  divine  strength,  and 
say,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you ;  my  strength  is  made 
perfect  in  weakness."  Either  in  lightening  the  load,  or  in 
giving  strength  to  bear  it,  "  God  will  provide." 

But,  in  the  statement  of  this,  it  requires  modification.  He 
will  not  always  provide  what  we  wish ;  he  will  always  pro- 
vide what  is  better  —  what  his  wisdom  sees  to  be  best  for  us. 
Many  a  time  we  have  wished  for  ourselves  that  which  would 
have  been,  if  granted,  our  ruin.  I  believe  that  when  we 
enter  into  heaven  we  shall  thank  God  as  much  for  the  prayers 
that  he  never  answered  at  all,  as  for  the  prayers  that  he 
answered  most  liberally  and  most  readily.  In  other  words, 
we  shall  then  discover  that  we  asked  many  a  thing  which,  if 
granted,  would  have  been  our  ruin,  however  natural  and 
suitable  it  appeared  at  the  time,  and  that  God,  in  infinite, 
and  condescending,  and  fatherly  love,  withheld ;  and  what 
he  withheld  will  be  to  us  a  ground  of  as  great  and  as  rich 
praise  as  what  he  gave.  How  pleasant,  how  delightful,  to 
know  that  it  is  for  us  to  ask  —  it  rests  with  him  to  give  — 
"  the  Lord  will  provide  !  "  He  does  not  make  you  cease  to 
ask  what  really  you  feel  you  need.  We  often  mix  two  things 
that  ought  never  to  be  linked.  Our  simple  business  is  to  go 
to  God,  and  ask  bona  fide  anything  that  we  think  or  feel  that 
we  want.  We  are  not  to  limit  our  petitions  ;  we  are  not  to 
say,  "  0  !  I  will  not  ask  this,  lest  it  be  not  good  for  me." 
That  is  no  business  of  mine  ;  I  am  to  ask  of  God  whatever  I 
think  I  need,  and  to  leave  with  him  the  sublime  prerogative 
of  giving  or  withholding,  just  as  to  him  seems  best.  My 
simple  privilege  is  to  ask  all  that  I  think  I  need ;  his  great 
promise  is  that  he  will  provide  that  which  we  really  need; 
not  giving  that  which  we  think  we  need,  but  which  is  not 
gftod  lor  UH,  nor  withholding  from  us  what  we  do  need,  but 
which  we  have  not  asked,  but  providing  for  us  just  that, 
nothing  less  nor  more,  which  is  most  expedient  for  us. 


GENESIS   XXII.  183 

If  this  be  true,  then,  in  temporal  things,  I  need  not  say 
that,  with  reference  to  God's  people,  it  is  true  in  spiritual 
and  eternal  things.  "  The  Lord  will  provide."  I  must  not 
look  at  any  church,  priest,  minister,  or  sacrament  for  the 
provision ;  I  can  look  at  nothing  short  of  the  great  fountain 
itself.     "  The  Lord  will  provide." 

And  what  will  he  provide  for  the  believer  ?  He  will  pro- 
vide for  him  the  pardon  of  all  his  sins.  He  has  provided  for 
him  the  purchase  of  it;  what  he  will  now  provide  is  the 
application  of  it.  In  Christ  is  redemption,  in  his  blood  effi- 
cacy to  cleanse  us  from  all  our  sins ;  but  from  God  is  that 
application  of  it  to  our  special  and  individual  cases,  that 
makes  us  feel  that  all  our  sins  are  blotted  out,  and  all  our 
iniquities  forgiven. 

God  will  provide  for  us  sanctification.  The  same  God,  who 
takes  away  the  guilt  of  sin  by  a  Saviour's  blood,  takes  away 
the  power  and  the  pollution  of  sin  by  the  Saviour's  Holy 
Spirit.  I  need  not  only  pardon,  that  I  may  have  a  title  to 
heaven,  but  I  need  to  have  provided  for  me  sanctiJGication, 
that  I  may  have  2^ fitness  for  heaven;  and  it  is  no  more  in 
the  power  of  a  priest  to  pardon  me,  than  it  is  in  his  power  to 
sanctify  me.  Both  are  the  results  of  divine  power.  It  is 
one  of  the  royalties  of  Christ  to  pardon  and  to  sanctify,  and 
none  else  can  ;  and  He  who  provides  for  me  pardon  and  sanc- 
tification will  provide  for  me  also  peace.  Can  you  suppose 
that  God  will  make  his  enemies  have  peace,  and  leave  his 
friends  without  it  ?  I  cannot  believe  it.  On  the  contrary, 
"being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  "peace  with  God."  In  a 
lecture  which  I  tried  to  analyze  in  another  place  (Hanover- 
square  Rooms)  this  morning,  it  is  said  that  Protestants  have 
a  gloomy  religion,  and  that  "Catholics"  —  that  is,  Roman- 
ists —  have  a  bright  and  a  joyous  religion.  My  dear  friends, 
this  is  not  fact,  and  ought  not  to  be  so  in  our  illustration  of 
that  fact.  I  am  sure  that,  throughout  the  whole  New  Testa- 
16 


184  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

ment,  which  I  hold  to  be  the  Protestant's  religion,  joj,  not 
Badness,  is  insisted  on.  It  is  said,  "  Rejoice,  and  again  I  saj, 
llejoice."  And  again,  "  The  kingdom  of  God  is  righteous- 
ness," —  that  is,  character,  — "  and  peace  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  Wherever,  then,  there  is  real  Christian  joy 
in  the  mind,  real  Christian  happiness  in  the  heart,  it  there  is 
the  fruit  of  Christianity.  The  same  God  who  provides  a  title 
to  heaven,  provides  happiness  as  an  earnest  of  heaven  in  the 
possession  of  that  title.  Hence,  that  man  who  is  not  happy 
must  be  unhappy  from  something  else  than  Christianity ;  and 
he  who  is  really  happy,  can  be  truly  happy  from  nothing 
else  than  Christianity.  The  first  action  of  the  gospel  is  to^ 
make  man  happy ;  and  its  secondary,  but  successive,  influ- 
ence is  to  make  man  holy.  The  law  of  God  tries  to  make 
men  happy  by  making  them  holy ;  the  gospel  makes  you 
holy  by  making  you  happy.  By  the  law  you  go  through 
holiness  to  happiness,  and  that  is  ever  true;  but  by  the 
gospel  you  go  through  happiness  to  holiness  —  the  good  news 
creating  joy  first,  and  then  gratitude  for  the  good  news  cre- 
ating holiness  next. 

The  same  God  who  provides  for  us  this,  will  provide  for 
us  all  the  elements  of  progress  to  heaven.  God  never  sets 
any  one  a  warfare  at  his  own  charges.  If  he  puts  you  on  a 
journey,  he  will  carry  you  on  in  that  journey.  If  he  puts 
you  on  the  race-course,  he  will  enable  you  to  run  with  patience 
the  race  set  before  you,  looking  unto  Jesus,  not  only  the 
author,  but  the  finisher  of  your  faith.  He,  therefore,  who 
provides  for  your  pardon,  will  give  you  the  elements  of  pro- 
gress ;  and,  by  a  mysterious,  but  an  actual  process,  he  will 
make  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
him,  and  are  called  according  to  his  purpose.  All  winds 
waflt  the  ship  that  lays  her  head  towards  the  true  haven ; 
and  all  winds  and  tides  help  that  vessel,  that  steers  by  the 
right  compass  and  the  right  chart,  to  the  haven  that  God  has 


GENESIS    XXII.  185 

prescribed  as  the  home  of  the  pilgrims  of  the  earth,  and  the 
voyagers  of  the  sea.     *'  God  will  provide." 

Having  noticed  the  things  that  God  will  provide  for  us, 
let  me  state,  next,  what  are  the  grounds  of  this  conclusion. 
It  is  quite  sufficient  to  read,  "  God  will  provide."  Whatever 
God  promises  is  true,  though  we  do  not  see  how  he  can  make 
it  true.  We  are  very  apt  to  fall  into  this  mistake.  We 
read  a  promise,  and  then,  instead  of  saying,  "  Well,  this  must 
be,  because  God  has  said  it,"  we  say,  "  How  can  this  be  ? " 
or  "  How  will  God  bring  it  to  pass  ?  "  And,  very  frequently, 
because  we  cannot  see  how  it  may  be,  we  very  stupidly  infer 
that  it  never  can  be.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  thing;  we  have  only  to  do  with  the  revela- 
tion or  the  non-revelation  of  the  thing.  The  question  ought 
not  to  be,  How  can  this  be  ?  but  the  real  question  is,  Haa 
this  been  said  by  God  ?  and,  if  it  has  been  said,  it  is  his  to 
do  it,  and  ours  to  believe  it,  knowing  that  faithfulness  has 
guaranteed  that  not  one  jot  or  tittle  shall  fail  till  all  be  ful- 
filled ;  and  "  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  words 
shall  not  pass  away." 

But  God  gives  us  an  insight  into  the  inner  machinery,  and 
that  insight  informs  us  that  one  ground  of  his  providing  all 
that  we  need  is  his  own  love.  He  so  loved  us  that  he  gave 
Christ  to  die  for  us.  How  much  more  will  he  perform  those 
promises  that  he  has  made,  through  Christ,  to  us !  If  his 
love  gave  great  things,  surely  it  will  give  small  things ;  if 
his  love  provided  the  price  of  our  redemption,  surely  that 
love  will  provide  the  means  of  the  application  of  that  price 
for  our  personal  acceptance  before  him. 

But  not  only  his  love,  but  his  power,  is  at  the  basis  of 
these  promises.  What  he  wills,  he  has  the  power  to  do. 
Man  sometimes  has  not  the  will  to  do  us  good  ;  and,  some- 
times, when  he  has  the  will,  he  has  not  the  power  to  do  us 
good.     But  God  has  the  will,  for  he  has  declared  it ;  and 


18G  .    SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

God  has  the  power,  for  he  is  omnipotent ;  and,  therefore, 
what  he  has  promised  to  provide,  that  his  power  will  provide, 
and  all  his  promises  will  be  seen  at  last,  as  they  are  seen  now, 
to  be  3Ta  and  amen,  irreversible  and  true,  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  is  thus  that  we  see  what  God  will  provide,  and  we  see 
the  grounds,  too,  on  which  he  will  provide.  What  makes 
us  very  often  have  doubts  and  suspicions  about  this  ?  First, 
we  sometimes  lose  our  hold  and  persuasion  of  the  reality  of 
this,  because  we  think  of  the  world,  and  all  that  is  in  it, 
without  God.  We  think  it  is  still  a  sort  of  chaos  —  all 
things  knocking  against  each  other  by  ceaseless  accidents, 
without  any  governing  and  presiding  power ;  and  therefore 
we  conclude  that  it  cannot  be  that  this  promise  will  ever  be 
fulfilled.  But  just  recollect  that  God  goveriis  ;  not  only  that 
God  is,  but  that  God  acts  ;  not  only  that  God  sits  upon  his 
throne,  but  sways  the  sceptre  of  his  supremacy  over  all  crea- 
tion ;  and  so  minute  is  that  superintendence,  that  not  a  hair 
can  fall  from  the  head,  or  a  sparrow  to  the  ground,  without 
his  permission.  If  I  believe  this,  I  can  see  that  the  God 
who  promised,  eighteen  hundred  years,  or  three  thousand 
years  ago, —  still  living,  still  governing,  incapable  of  forget- 
ting, possessed  of  omnipotent  power, —  will  make  good,  in 
fact,  the  promise  he  has  recorded  in  his  holy  word. 

Another  reason  why  we  doubt  it  is  that  we  are  very  pre- 
cipitate and  hasty.  AVe  often  say,  because  we  have  not  got 
to-day  what  we  need,  therefore  we  shall  not  get  it  at  all.  But 
that  is  a  very  great  mistake.  God  bids  us  wait  on  the  Lord. 
All  that  he  has  promised  us,  that  he  will  provide  —  the  day, 
the  hour,  the  month,  the  year,  he  has  not  specified.  He  asks 
only  confidence  in  his  love,  and  confidence  in  his  word,  while 
he  bids  you  look  for  the  fulfilment  of  that  word  some  time, 
and  thd  very  time  that  is  most  for  your  good,  not  the  time 
that  you  may  most  pro  lor. 


GENESIS   XXII.  187 

And  another  reason  why  we  doubt  God  is  that  we  are 
more  or  less  distrustful.  We  are  very  apt  to  say,  "  All  this 
is  very  nice,  all  this  is  very  well  to  talk  about,  but  it  will 
not  do  to  trust  in."  It  luill  do  to  trust  in.  God  means  that 
we  should  repose  on  his  shortest  and  simplest  promises,  as  we 
do  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages,  or  the  foundations  of  the  globe 
itself.  It  is  true,  *'  God  will  provide."  He  will  provide, 
not  what  you  think  is  best,  but  what  he  knows  is  best ;  and 
he  will  do  it  now,  just  as  much  as  he  ever  did  it  before.  Not 
one  prophet,  patriarch,  evangelist,  apostle,  testifies  that  one 
word  or  promise  of  God  has  failed  ;  and  no  one  yet  ever  lived 
who  said,  as  the  result  of  solemn  experience,  that  God's  word 
has  failed. 

That  man,  who  exercises  simple  and  earnest  trust  in  this 
blessed  promise,  will  be  kept  in  perfect  peace.  It  is  truly 
delightful  to  be  able,  in  the  path  of  duty,  in  the  scene  of 
sorrow  and  suflfering,  in  the  prospect  of  trials,  afflictions,  be- 
reavements, to  roll  our  burden  on  the  Lord,  and  to  feel  and 
know  that  he  careth  for  us.  Such  a  persuasion  will  not 
weaken,  but  strengthen,  our  efforts  and  activity.  It  is  not  a 
reason  for  indolence  or  apathy,  but  an  incentive  to  duty. 
They  who  trust  most,  invariably  toil  most.  Hope,  based  on 
confidence  in  God,  is  an  element  of  success.  Faith  is  the 
victory  that  overcometh  the  world.  It  is  "  the  substance  of 
things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  It  lifts 
the  heart  of  the  believer  above  the  frail,  the  fleetino;,  and  the 
earthly,  and  brings  it  into  contact  and  communion  with  un- 
seen but  glorious  realities.  Let  us  begin  life,  and  enter  upon 
every  duty,  and  undertake  every  office  that  opens  to  us  in 
the  providence  of  God,  assured  that,  if  we  trust  in  him,  he 
will  provide  for  us.  This  is  his  promise ;  this  is  his  very 
nature, —  he  cannot  deny  himself :  "Them  that  honor  me,  I 
will  honor."  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  right- 
eousness, and  all  other  things  will  be  added."  We  may  not 
16# 


188  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

obtain  many  things  we  would  like,  but  we  shall  obtain  all 
things  that  are  truly  expedient  for  us.  The  Lord  is  a  Shield 
and  Sun :  he  giveth  grace  and  glory,  and  will  withhold  no 
good  from  them  that  love  him. 

Let  us  go  forth  into  the  unsounded  future,  and  looking 
forward  to  all  that  betides  us  in  that  future,  with  this  deep, 
inner  persuasion  written  on  our  hearts,  that  God  will  provide 
grace  and  glory;  that  he  will  withhold  from  us  no  good 
thing ;  for  all  his  promises  in  Christ  are  Yea  and  Amen. 


CHAPTEE    XXIII. 


SARAH'S   DEATH LIMIT   OP  LIFE  —  ABRAHAM'S   SORROW ARRANGE- 
MENTS  FOR  BURIAL  EASTERN    COURTESY  —  BUSINESS    AND    CHRIS- 

TLVNITT  —  MONET. 


We  have  here  the  close  of  one  of  the  most  interesting, 
and  in  many  respects  touching  biographies  recorded  in  the 
word  of  God.  Sarah  reached  the  extraordinary  age, —  ex- 
traordinary according  to  our  present  experience,  —  of  "  an 
hundred  and  seven  and  twenty  years."  I  stated  before  that 
it  seems  extremely  probable  that  the  last  shortening  of  human 
life  was  at  the  flood,  namely,  the  reduction  of  it  to  the  limit 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years ;  and  that,  for  many  centu- 
ries after  the  era  of  the  flood,  life  seems  to  have  lasted,  in 
favorable  circumstances  at  least,  to  that  extent.  Our  expe- 
rience now  reaches  to  scarcely  above  half  that  period ;  but 
whether  this  be  owing  to  our  defective  sanitary  arrangements, 
or  to  our  modes  of  life,  or  to  the  fact  that  the  highest  civili- 
zation and  the  most  savage  barbarism  seem  to  approach  and 
touch  each  other,  I  know  not ;  but  the  fact  is  so.  There  is 
no  scriptural  reason  for  believing  that  the  limits  of  human 
life  are  less  now  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  or  that 
old  age  should  begin  so  early  as  sixty  years.  In  the  nine- 
tieth Psalm,  as  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  is  the  description, 
not  of  the  normal,  but  the  abnormal  state  of  man.  Moses 
says,  "  The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten ; 
and  if  by  reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is 
their  strength  labor  and  sorrow."     But  he  there  describes, 


190  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

not  what  is  the  universal  law,  but  what  had  become  the 
special,  bitter,  painful,  and  exceptional  exi^erience  of  the 
wilderness  condition,  in  which  thej  had  long  been;  thus 
showing  that  life  was  really  longer  usually,  but  that  such  were 
the  grinding  necessities  of  their  condition,  as  pilgrims  in  the 
desert,  that,  in  that  wilderness,  and  there  only,  it  had  reached 
only  threescore  and  ten  years,  instead  of  its  past  and  wonted 
maturity. 

We  read  of  Sarah's  death  in  "  Kirjath-arba ;  the  same  is 
Hebron  in  the  land  of  Canaan;"  and  of  Abraham  coming 
to  mourn  for  Sarah,  and  to  weep  for  her,  the  partner  of  his^ 
sorrows,  his  sins,  his  joys,  and  his  trials  —  who  had  joined 
with  him  in  his  equivocation,  shared  with  him  in  his  repent- 
ance, and  now  preceded  him  to  that  true  rest,  of  which  Canaan 
was  the  dim  and  the  imperfect  type  and  earnest.  Abraham, 
however,  showed  that  he  wept  as  though  he  wept  not,  just  as 
on  previous  occasions  he  rejoiced  as  though  he  rejoiced  not, 
knowing  that  the  world  and  the  fashion  of  it  passeth  away. 

We  therefore  find  him  ppoceeding,  according  to  the  neces- 
sities of  an  Eastern  climate,  instantly,  or  with  scarcely  an 
interval  of  a  day,  to  bury  his  dead.  He,  accordingly,  makes 
inquiry  for  the  first  holding  that  he  can  find  in  the  promised 
land.  How  expressive  and  remarkable  is  his  first  property 
there  —  a  tomb  !  He  was  promised  Canaan  as  his  rest  —  he 
was  a  sojourner  in  search  of  it ;  and  the  first  portion  of  it 
that  he  could  call  his  own  was  not  a  palace,  a  castle,  or  a 
temple,  or  a  home — but  a  grave;  teaching  us,  and  teaching 
him,  that  Canaan  could  not  be  the  ultimate  and  promised 
rest;  for  in  the  true  Canaan  there  are  no  graves,  nor  death, 
and  no  dead  are  buried ;  for  there  is  no  weeping,  nor  dying 
there ;  and,  therefore,  inspiring  in  the  patriarch's  heart  the 
sentiment  that  he  needed,  in  the  midst  of  Canaan,  to  feel  now 
as  truly  as  he  ever  felt  it  before,  "  This  is  not  my  rest  —  this 


GENESIS   XXIII.  191 

is  not  the  real  Canaan  —  there  remaineth  still  beyond  it  and 
above  it  a  rest  for  the  people  of  God." 

AYe  next  read  of  his  address  to  the  childi'en  of  Heth,  and 
his  dealing  with  them  for  the  purchase  of  a  tomb.  First  of 
all  they  offered  him  any  of  their  own  sepulchres,  but  these 
he  would  not  accept.  The  sepulchres  were  cut  out  of  the 
solid  rock ;  the  remains  of  them  are  to  be  found  to  this  day, 
and  indeed  the  very  spot  where  Sarah  was  buried  can  be 
distinctly  and  clearly  traced  out  now  in  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan. I  say,  most  of  these  sepulchres  were  cut  out  of 
the  rock,  and  these  people  offered  Abraham  any  of  their 
own ;  but  any  of  these  he  would  not  accept.  He  wished 
for  a  separate  one,  according  to  Eastern  customs  and  East- 
ern predilections  ;  —  and  he  required  it,  not  gratis,  but 
for  money,  and  accordingly  applied  to  Ephron,  the  son  of 
Zohar, 

Now,  this  Ephron  was  a  specimen  of  genuine  Eastern 
courtesy ;  he  had  his  eye  to  the  price  of  the  tomb ;  but, 
like  all  Easterns,  he  expressed  himself  as  if  that  were  a 
mere  trifling  matter.  An  Eastern  comes  now  and  says, 
"  I  am  your  slave."  He  speaks  of  himself  in  the  most 
humble  terms,  and  of  you  in  the  most  exalted ;  you  have 
in  Ephron  a  type  of  Eastern  character  to  this  day,  when  he 
said,  in  an  off-hand  style,  "  Nay,  my  lord,  hear  me ;  the 
field  I  give  thee,  and  the  cave  that  is  therein."  And  when 
Abraham  answered,  "  I  will  give  thee  money  for  the  field," 
he  said,  "  My  lord,  hearken  unto  me  :  the  land  is  worth 
four  hundred  shekels  of  silver ; "  but  you  see  how  beauti- 
fully he  adds,  "  What  is  that  betwixt  thee  and  me  ?  "  We 
must  not  stand  on  such  a  trifle ;  I  am  most  desirous  to 
oblige  you,  whose  dignity  and  character  are  entitled  to  so 
much.  But  Abraham,  with  all  the  exactness  of  the  most 
rigid  man  of  business,  combined  with  all  the  courtesy  of 
the  most  finished  European  gentleman,  and  yet  with  all  the 


192  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

beautiful  and  characteristic  delicacy  of  a  tme  Christian, 
said,  «'  No ;  I  cannot  accept  this ;  I  require  it  as  mj  prop- 
erty, and  I  am  ready  to  give  you  so  much  for  it."  And  he 
sets  us  here  a  precedent  for  our  imitation.  AVe  sometimes 
say,  I  do  not  like  to  deal  with  such  a  man  as  if  he  were  a 
rogue,  and  to  insist  on  signature,  and  seal,  and  witnesses,  and 
all  the  legal  etiquette  of  bargain-making.  But  Abraham 
did  insist  upon  it ;  he  required  witnesses ;  he  had  deeds, 
signed  and  sealed,  and  documentary  evidence.  And  I  have 
found,  from  my  little  experience,  that  it  is  always  the  best 
way  to  do  these  things  in  the  most  business-like  way.  There 
is  no  defect  of  Christianity  or  violation  of  duty  in  so  doing, 
and  there  is  an  immense  saving  of  much  painful,  anxious, 
and  irritating  after-dispute  that  may  incidentally  occur,  even 
among  friends.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  most  perfect  busi- 
ness transaction  need  not  be  the  least  Christian  transaction  ; 
and  that,  however  much  confidence  you  have  in  a  brother,  it 
is  always  the  best  way  to  have  the  transaction  signed  and 
sealed  in  the  presence  of  "  the  children  of  Heth,"  that  you 
may  have  it  for  an  everlasting  possession,  without  dispute, 
without  cavil,  and  without  law-suit. 

The  expression  that  Abraham  employs  is  a  very  peculiar 
one  —  "Bury  my  dead  out  of  my  sight."  What  a  testi- 
mony to  the  change  that  has  passed  upon  all,  that  that  face 
which  reflected  our  sunshine,  which  reciprocated  our  sorrows, 
which  was  the  mirror  of  many  a  bright  and  beautiful  recol- 
lection, even  a  husband,  a  son,  must  bury  out  of  sight !  Sin 
has  entered,  and  death  by  sin,  and  therefore  death  hath  passed 
upon  all. 

When  he  required  this  sepulchre,  he  offered  so  much 
moTiey,  we  are  told  —  shekels  of  silver  —  and  this  money 
was  weighed.  This  informs  us  that  silver  came  so  early  as 
this  period  of  the  world  to  be  currency.  I  mentioned,  I 
think,  before,  that  the  earliest   money  was  cattle.     Henc^, 


GENESIS    XXTII.  193 

the  Latin  word  pecunia,  from  which  our  expression  pecuni' 
ary  transactions  is  derived,  comes  from  pecus,  which  means 
cattle.  And  it  is  very  singular  that  in  the  Greek  language 
every  word  that  is  used  for  purchase  or  property  is  a  deriva- 
tion from  some  other  word  denoting  an  animal.  Thus,  the 
Greek  word  uQwadui,  which  means  "  to  bargain,"  is  derived 
from  a  Greek  word  that  means  a  lamb.  Again,  Txotleo),  to 
sell,  is  derived  from  the  word  used  for  a  colt.  Again,  the 
Greek  word  oji^Eouai,  to  profit,  comes  from  a  word  signifying 
an  ass.  Again,  the  Greek  word  n^n^aan,  revenue,  is  derived 
from  the  Greek  word  nQoSajov,  sheep  or  cattle.  In  short, 
all  the  words  in  Greek  and  Latin  that  mean  property  trans- 
actions, buying  and  selling,  are  derived  from  cattle,  and  the 
earliest  figures  that  were  struck  upon  ancient  coins  were 
figures  of  cattle.  A  man  was  said  to  be  possessed  of  so 
many  thousand  oxen  or  sheep,  and,  when  they  entered  into  a 
bargain,  they  gave  so  many  sheep,  or  so  many  oxen,  to  the 
person  from  whom  they  were  purchasing.  Here,  foi*  the  first 
time,  we  have  silver  introduced  as  currency,  —  that  which, 
in  fact,  is  still  the  currency  of  the  greatest  portion  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  —  gold  being  restricted  to  very  few 
countries,  as  the  representative  of  property  —  mainly,  I 
believe,  in  this  country ;  whereas  on  the  continent  it  is,  I 
believe,  chiefly  silver. 

The  sepulchre  was  thus  secured,  and  Sarah  was  buried  at 
Mamre,"^  the  place  where  they  had  often  worshipped,  "and 
the  field,  and  the  cave  that  is  therein,"  being  amid  the  fields 

*  A  Spanish  Jew,  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  visited  the  place  about  six 
hundred  years  ago,  and  states  that  he  saw  Sarah's  grave,  and  also 
Isaac's,  Rebekah's,  and  Jacob's.  He  states  that  close  to  them  are  tons 
of  the  bones  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

A  more  recent  writer  states  that  the  tombs  of  the  patriarchs  are 
covered  with  rich  carpets,  furnished  by  the  Sultans  of  Constanti- 
nople. 


194  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

and  trees  that  constituted  the  grove  which  was  Abraham's 
first  temple,  and  Sarah's  last  resting-place ;  and  these  "  were 
made  sure  unto  Abraham,"  that  is,  by  documents,  "  for  a  pos- 
session of  a  burjing-place,  by  the  sons  of  Heth."  Blessed  are 
the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord ! 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 


ELIEZER'S     call    to    ABRAHAM THE     STEWARDS     DIFFICULTY MAR- 
RIAGE    MADE     IN     HEAVEN PREPARATION DRAWING     WATER  

RACHEL  —  LABAN'S  AVARICE LOVE  AT  SIGHT. 


In  offering  a  few  necessarily  superficial  remarks  upon  the 
exquisitely  toucliing,  beautiful  and  ancient  portrait  I  have 
read,  you  must  recollect  that  it  refers  to  times  when  modern 
modes  and  modern  etiquette  were  altogether  unpractised  and 
unknown.  It  will  be  a  question,  of  course,  for  you  and  all 
to  consider  whether  there  were  not  excellences  in  those  old 
patriarchal  days  worthy  of  our  imitation,  and  defects  in  what 
we  think  the  more  excellent  way,  that  might  properly  be 
exchanged. 

I  have  to  remind  you  that  in  the  previous  chapter  we  had 
the  touching  and  melancholy  portrait  of  the  death  of  Sarah  ; 
her  burial  in  a  tomb  purchased  by  Abraham  from  the  people 
of  the  land  of  Heth ;  and  in  this  chapter  we  have  the  record 
of  another  incident,  very  beautiful,  and  in  many  parts 
exquisitely  picturesque,  full  of  instruction,  and  fitted  to  do 
good  to  those  who  will  fully,  diligently,  and  prayerfully 
weigh  it. 

But  I  must  first  explain  that  the  person  here  called  the 
servant  in  Abraham's  house,  was  not  a  slave  or  a  menial,  as 
it  might  be  supposed  from  his  description.  It  was  the  custom 
then,  and  it  is  the  custom  even  now,  to  call  the  highest  officers 
of  the  prince,  servants.  The  prime  minister  of  our  country  is, 
and  calls  himself,  the  servant  of  the  queen  ;  and  this  person, 
17 


]1»G  SCKIPTUKE   HEADINGS. 

high  in  office  in  the  house  of  Abraham,  a  prince  as  well  as  a 
patriarch,  is  called  his  servant,  whilst  he  was,  in  fact,  his 
treasurer,  —  Eliezer  of  Damascus,  —  who  had  the  control  of' 
all  the  good  things  and  the  great  things  of  Abraham's  house  ; 
and  this  will  show  that  this  was  not  a  slave  that  he  sent  to 
transact  so  important  a  matter,  but  an  officer  of  distinction, 
and  of  very  high  standing,  in  the  house  of  Abraham. 

He  made  this  servant  swear,  in  a  peculiar  but  ancient  for- 
mula, that  he  would  take  a  wife  unto  Abraham's  son ;  a  wife 
—  not  of  the  daughters  of  the  Canaanites,  into  whose  land  he 
had'  entered,  and  whose  dispossession  was  the  subject  of  an- 
cient prophecy — but  that  he  would  take  a  wife  to  his  son,  of 
a  Christian  people,  and  on  no  account  out  of  the  families  of  a 
heathen  and  depraved  people,  however  wealthy,  as  the  Ca- 
naanites were. 

The  servant  accordingly  took  the  oath,  after  an  ancient  and 
primitive  form,  and  he  said  what  would  have  naturally  occur- 
red to  any  one,  "  Peradventure  the  woman  will  not  be  will- 
ing to  follow  me  unto  this  land  "  —  she  may  have  a  will  of 
her  own ;  it  seems  a  very  strong  measure  for  me  to  recom- 
mend Isaac,  which  I  will  do  with  all  the  eloquence  which  I 
can  command  ;  but  I  cannot  forget  she  has  not  seen  him,  and 
my  recommendation  may,  therefore,  not  be  successful ;  my 
eloquence  may  not  be  sufficiently  persuasive  to  overcome  a 
natural  reluctance  —  "  peradventure  the  woman  will  not  be 
willing  to  follow  me  into  this  land,"  and  then,  what  will 
become  of  my  oath  and  my  obligation  to  you  ?  Abraham 
well  knew  that  the  arrangement  was  made  in  heaven,  and 
that  these  steps  were  merely  making  it  actual  in  the  history 
of  his  family  upon  earth.  "  If  the  woman  will  not  be  willing 
to  follow  thee,"  then  you  have  done  your  duty ;  no  blame  can 
fall  on  you.  ])uties  are  ours,  just  as  they  were  Eliezer's. 
The  issues  and  the  events  are  God's;  and  if  men  would  only 
trouble  themselves  mor«  about  instant  duties  that  are  obvi- 


GENESIS   XXIV.  197 

ously  present,  and  vex  themselves  less  about  contingent  pos- 
sibilities that  are  not  yet  come,  they  would  be  far  more  useful 
to  each  other  in  the  march  of  life,  and  more  happy  in  their 
own  hearts. 

It  is  then  said  that  Eliezer  "  took  ten  camels  of  the  camels 
of  his  master,  and  departed ;  for  all  the  goods  of  his  master 
were  in  his  hand ;  and  he  arose,  and  went  to  Mesopotamia." 
He  felt  that,  while  the  thing  might  be  in  its  arrangement 
divine,  yet  it  was  his  duty  to  take  what  would  make  upon 
Kebekah,  or  the  future  and  possible  wife  of  Isaac,  the  deep- 
est and  most  attractive  impression.  He,  therefore,  goes  with 
ten  camels  laden  with  bracelets,  and  ear-rings,  and  jewels, 
and  changes  of  apparel,  as  the  rest  of  the  passage  shows,  in 
order  that  the  future  wife  of  Isaac,  whoever  she  might  be, 
might  see  that  Isaac  was  not  a  poor  man,  and  that  he  was 
prepared  to  bestow  all  the  treasures  of  his  house  upon  her 
whom  he  should  have  the  happiness  to  make  his  wife. 

He  then  "  made  his  camels  to  kneel  down  without  the  city 
by  a  well  of  water,  at  the  time  of  the  evening,  even  the  time 
that  women  go  out  to  draw  water."  It  is  a  singularly  beau- 
tiful thought,  that  the  Hebrew  word  for  a  well,  and  the 
Hebrew  word  for  the  human  eye,  is  the  same.  It  seems  most 
beautiful  to  call  the  well  or  the  spring  the  eye  of  the  earth. 
Just  as  the  tear  rushes  from  the  eye  when  sorrow  smites  the 
heart,  so  the  water  rushes  from  the  earth  when  smitten  by 
Him  who  now  wields  the  rod  of  Moses,  though  not  seen. 
"Eye  of  the  earth"  is  the  Hebrew  or  poetical  word  for  a 
spring  or  a  fountain ;  and  that  explains  the  beautiful  lan- 
guage of  Jeremiah,  "  0  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine 
eyes  a  fountain  of  tears !  "  —  that  is,  I  wish  it  were,  what  it 
means,  a  spring;  I  wish  I  could  just  weep  enough  to 
express  the  depth  of  my  sorrow  at  so  great  and  sad  catas- 
trophes. 

It  must  appear  to  us  exceedingly  strange,  that  the  women 


198  SCRIPTURE   READINaS. 

of  the  higher  classes  of  the  East  should  go  to  draw  water  at 
the  well,  and  even  carry  it  home.  "  I  stand  here  by  the  well 
of  water  ;  and  the  daughters  of  the  men  of  the  city  come  out 
to  draw  water."  Now,  in  Eastern  countries,  ladies,  I  be- 
lieve, of  distinction,  go  out,  or  formerly  did  go,  to  draw 
water ;  among  the  Bedouins,  or  Arabs  of  the  desert,  this  is 
certainly  still  the  case.  And  this,  too,  seems  strange  to  us, 
that  the  humbler  classes  carried  the  water  on  their  heads, 
whilst  the  higher  classes  carried  it  upon  their  shoulders;  and 
I  believe  that  one  reason  why  the  Arab  females  walk  so  erect 
is  from  carrying  water  upon  the  head.  The  higher  classes 
carried  it  upon  the  shoulder,  as  a  mark  of  distinction  or  of  rank, 
as  you  will  see  it  is  noticed  of  Rebekah,  that  she  carried  her 
pitcher  upon  her  shoulder;  she  was  of  a  higher  family  and  of 
more  distinguished  birth.  The  servant  recognized  the  ar- 
rangement as  divine,  and  evidently  did,  in  thet^hoice  of  a  wife 
for  Isaac,  what  the  apostles  did  in  reference  to  the  successor 
of  Judas  —  they  cast  lots,  and  the  lot  fell  on  one ;  so  here  he 
makes  an  arrangement  —  not  a  precedent  for  us,  because, 
unless  we  have  a  miraculous  commission,  we  have  no  right  to 
make  miraculous  appeals  to  God.  Besides,  there  was  then  no 
written  Bible,  as  there  is  now,  and  therefore  then  God  spoke 
to  his  servants  directly  from  his  throne,  instead  of  giving 
directions,  as  he  does  now,  through  his  inspired  servants  in 
his  written  word.  And  this  was  the  arrangement  urged  by 
Eliezer,  "  Let  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  damsel  to  whom  I 
shall  say,  Let  down  thy  pitcher,  I  pray  thee,  that  I  may 
drink,  and  she  shall  say.  Drink,  and  I  will  give  thy  camels 
drink  also ;  let  the  same  be  she  which  thou  hast  appointed 
for  thy  servant  Isaac;  "  then  I  will  understand  that  this  is 
the  person  divinely  elected  by  God  for  the  son  of  my  master, 
Abraham. 

It  came  to  pass,  then,  "  before  he  had  done  speaking,"  that 
among  the  Eastern  females  who  came  out  to  the  well  to  fetch 


GENESIS   XXIV.  199 

water,  there  came,  amongst  others,  Rebekah,  "  who  was  born 
to  Bethuel,  son  of  Milcar,  the  wife  of  Nahor,  Abraham's 
brother,"  and,  therefore,  the  cousin  of  Isaac,  and  the  niece, 
of  course,  of  Abraham. 

"  The  damsel  was  very  fair,"  and  this  made  a  favorable 
impression,  and  the  servant  ran  to  meet  her ;  and,  as  she  was 
the  first  to  come,  he  resolved  to  put  to  the  test  the  arrange- 
ment that  he  had  made  divinely  with  Him  who  gave  success 
to  the  enterprise  that  he  was  on.  "He  ran  to  meet  her,  and 
said,  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  drink  a  little  water  of  thy  pitcher. 
And  she  said,"  with  instant  and  perfect  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness, "  Drink,  my  lord ;  and  she  hasted  and  let  down  her 
pitcher  upon  her  hand,  and  gave  him  drink.  And  when  she 
had  done  giving  him  drink,"  —  and  here  was  the  proof  to 
him  that  she  was  the  accepted  and  the  predestined  one,  — 
"  she  said,  I  will  draw  water  for  thy  camels  also,  until  they 
have  done  drinking,"  —  which  was  more  than  he  said,  and 
therefore  was  more  satisfactory  to  him.  "  And  she  hasted, 
and  emptied  her  pitcher  into  the  trough,  and  ran  again  unto 
the  well  to  draw  water,  and  drew  for  all  his  camels."  And 
recollect  there  were  ten  camels,  and  she  had  to  descend  each 
time  into  the  well.  I  recollect  reading  that  at  the  well  at 
Cairo  they  have  to  descend  one  hundred  and  fifty  steps  before 
they  can  reach  the  water.  They  have  not  our  plans  for 
raising  water  by  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere,  or  by  rope 
or  wheel ;  but  the  more  common  way  is  to  go  down  the  steps ; 
and  you  can  see  how  great  was  Kebekah's  loving-kindness, 
when  she  put  herself  to  so  much  personal  toil  and  drudgery 
to  oblige  this  stranger,  with  his  camels,  from  a  distant  land. 

"  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  the  camels  had  done  drinking, 
that  the  man  took  a  golden  ear-ring,  of  half  a  shekel  weight, 
and  two  bracelets  for  her  hands,  of  ten  shekels  weight  of 
gold,"  and  put  them  on  her.  Now,  a  female  of  modern  times 
would  have  shrunk  from  that ;  but  may  it  not  be  that  what 
17=^ 


200  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

we  call  our  most  distinguishing  and  delicate  etiquette  may  be 
only  the  beautiful  outside  of  a  great  deal  that  is  wrong 
within  ?  And  may  not  there  be,  in  this  unsuspecting  simplicity, 
this  unsuspecting  deference,  beating  below,  a  purer  heart  than 
in  modern  times,  where  there  is  exhibited  more  of  apparent 
deference,  but  really  less,  it  may  be,  of  true,  pure  and  lofty 
principle  ?  I  do  not  say  it  is  so ;  I  submit  the  contrast  to  you, 
for  you  to  infer  which  is  best. 

He  then  said  to  her,  ♦'  Whose  daughter  art  thou?"  That 
would  be  thought  a  very  impertinent  question  now ;  but  it 
was  meant  to  be  a  very  civil  one,  and  it  was  received  by  her 
as  neither  indelicate  nor  rude  ;  and  she  answered,  with  all 
that  simplicity  which  is  so  beautiful,  "  I  am  the  daughter  of 
Bethuel,  the  son  of  Milcar,  which  she  bare  unto  Nahor ; " 
and  she  said,  in  the  overflowing  kindness  and  hospitality  of 
her  heart,  "  AYe  have  both  straw  and  provender  enough,  and 
room  to  lodge  in."  Recollect,  that  in  those  days  there  were 
no  hotels  and  inns ;  and  hence  the  force  of  that  remark  of 
the  apostle,  that  a  bishop  should  be  given  to  hospitality  — 
that  a  bishop's  or  a  minister's  house  should  be  for  hospitality. 
It  then  had  an  emphasis  which  it  has  not  now  ;  but  still  the 
substance  may  remain,  although  the  formula  under  which 
these  feelings  and  duties  were  expressed,  may  be  changed. 
And  Eliezer  instantly  said,  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  my 
master  Abraham ! "  He  asked  God's  guidance ;  he  gave 
God  the  praise.  Whatever  begins  with  prayer  will  be  sure 
to  end  with  praise.  People  who  pray  for  a  blessing  before 
they  begin  an  enterprise,  will  close  the  enterprise  they  have 
begun  with  praise  for  it. 

And  we  then  read  that  *'  Rebekah  had  a  brother,  and  his 
name  was  Laban  ;  and  Laban  ran  out  unto  the  man,  unto  the 
well.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  he  saw  the  ear-ring 
and  bracelets,  he  said.  Come  in."  Now,  as  far  as  I  can 
judge  of  Laban 's  conduct,  I  must  infer  he  does  not  seem  to 


GENESIS   XXIV.  201 

havo  been  a  specimen  of  the  noblest  and  the  finest  character. 
I  think  that  he  thought  the  marriage  was  desirable  for  the 
ear-rings  and  the  bracelets  —  that  is,  for  the  dowry  —  more 
than  for  the  family  into  which  his  sister  was  to  enter  ;  for  it 
was  when  he  saw  the  ear-rings  and  the  bracelets  that  he  said, 
"  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ;  wherefore  standest  thou 
without  ?  for  I  have  prepared  the  house,  and  room  for  the 
camels."  It  is  not  a  beautiful  trait  in  Laban's  character  ;  it 
indicates,  I  fear,  an  avaricious  heart.  It  is  like  showing 
more  respect  to  a  rich  man,  in  a  church,  than  to  others.  After- 
wards, "  he  ungirded  his  camels,  and  gave  straw  and  proven- 
der for  the  camels,  and  water  to  wash  his  feet,  and  the  men's 
feet  that  were  with  him.  And  there  was  set  meat  before 
him  to  eat."  But  this  servant  in  the  house  of  Abraham  was 
evidently  a  man  intensely  devoted  to  his  work,  and  master, 
and  mission ;  he  would  not  even  eat  until  he  had  explained 
the  whole  matter.  In  fact,  from  the  commencement  of  the 
chapter  to  its  close,  we  cannot  but  notice  how  intensely  and 
sensitively  devoted  he  was  to  his  master's  service,  honor  and 
happiness ;  and  it  was  because  his  master  put  confidence  in 
him  that  the  servant  requited  it.  The  true  way  to  get  men 
to  love  you  is  to  love  them  ;  the  true  way  to  get  servants  to 
serve  you  is  to  put  confidence  in  them;  but,  if  you  are 
always  suspecting,  you  will  be  always  suspected ;  if  they  that 
serve  see  only  the  more  repellent  points  of  society,  they  will 
be  repelled,  and  society  will  be  destroyed,  just  by  the  absence 
of  that  which  is  its  cohesion  and  its  cement  —  confidence  in 
one  another. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  this  veiling  of  herself  by  Rebekah 
gave  rise  to  an  almost  universal  Eastern  usage.  The 
women  are  kept  secluded,  and  in  public  veiled ;  and  thus  no 
opportunity  is  afibrded  the  husband  of  seeing  his  future  wife, 
till  introduced  to  her  at  marriage.  All  he  knows  of  her 
beauty  or  excellence  is  from  the  lips  of  her  maid,  or  nurse. 


202  SCRIPTURE    KFAI'TN'GS. 

The  picture,  which  is  exquisitely  beautiful,  closes  by  Isaac 
bringing  her  to  his  mother  Sarah's  tent ;  and  she  that  was 
given  to  him  in  the  Lord  was  loved  by  him,  and  he  was  com- 
forted.    They  that  marry  should  marry  in  the  Lord. 


THE  BLESSED  OF  THE  LORD.  — A  LESSON. 

•*  And  Laban  said,  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ;  why   standest 
thou  without  1 "  —  Genesis  24  :  31. 

I  HAVE  made  some  necessarily  superficial  remarks  on  the 
long  but  beautiful  chapter  from  which  these  words  are  taken. 
I  noticed  in  the  course  of  my  remarks  how,  in  all  the  minut- 
est, as  well  as  in  all  the  most  momentous,  interests  of  human 
life,  the  divine  order  is  laid  down.  "  In  the  Lord,"  was  the 
essential  of  marriage.  "In  the  Lord,"  was  the  peculiar  and 
distinguishing  feature  of  death.  We  read,  too,  that  the  serv- 
ant, who  went  to  make  the  arrangements  related  in  this  chap- 
ter, not  only  recognized  God  in  all  things,  but  did  so  by  direct 
and  special  prayer.  If  you  read  the  chapter,  you  will  see 
how  Eliezer,  the  treasurer  of  Abraham's  house,  looked  to  God 
for  direction,  and,  without  some  significant  intimation  from  on 
high,  he  felt  that  he  could  neither  walk  surely  nor  prosper  in 
the  cau^e  that  he  had  in  hand.  At  the  same  time,  you  will 
see  that  while  he  regards  God  as  the  author  of  all,  and  prayer 
as  his  duty  and  his  privilege,  he  employs  all  the  means  that 
God  had  placed  in  his  power,  to  enable  him  to  win  and  mas- 
ter the  desirable  result.  And  the  issue,  we  read  in  the  chap- 
ter, was  complete  and  undiluted  success.  The  enterprise  that 
begins  in  asking  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  is  sure  to  end  in 
success  from  on  high.  What  begins  in  him  will  be  blessed  by 
him,  and  whatever  is  undertaken  in  defiance  of  his  will,  or 
in  disregard  of  prayer  for  his  presence,  direction  and  bless- 
ing, may  seem  to  have  a  momentary  prosperity,  but  in  the 
issue  it  will  bitterly  and  disastrously  disappoint.     It  is  God 


204  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

that  blesses,  and  without  his  blessing  the  greatest  results  are 
small,  and  with  it  the  least  apparent  results  are  blessings 
indeed. 

I  noticed  that  Laban  gave  the  invitation  to  the  servant  of 
Abraham,  apparently  not  because  he  saw  something  in  him 
that  truly  proclaimed  him  a  Christian,  but  because  he  saw 
much  with  him  that  made  him  desire  to  have  him  as  his 
friend,  his  relative,  or  his  ally.  I  admit  the  words  pro- 
nounced by  Laban  were  not  from  the  purest  of  motives,  but 
what  he  said  in  his  avarice  we  may  apply  truly,  and  feel  that 
the  blessed  of  the  Lord  are  blessed  indeed,  and  that  they  that 
are  blessed  of  him  ought  to  be  welcome  to  our  homes  and 
hospitality. 

Let  me,  in  looking  at  these  words,  viewed  as  a  Christian 
invitation,  notice  first  what  it  is  that  constitutes  real  happi- 
ness in  the  sight  of  God.  It  is  being  blessed  of  the  Lord.  It 
is  remarkable,  in  reading  the  Bible,  how  seldom  any  circum- 
stantial or  external  excellence  is  pronounced  the  ground 
of  a  blessing,  and  how  frequently  those  pure  and  spiritual 
features,  which  the  world  cannot  take  notice  of,  are  viewed  by 
God  as  alone  entitled  to  the  blessing.  "  Blessed  is  the  man 
whose  sins  are  forgiven."  The  world  cannot  understand  that. 
It  can  understand,  "  Blessed  is  the  rich  man,  the  great 
man,  the  wise  man,  the  healthy  man ;  "  but  it  cannot  under- 
stand that  in  sickness  there  may  be  realized  the  gi'eatest  bless- 
ing ;  that  in  the  bitterest  sorrow  there  may  be  felt  the 
greatest  sunshine  ;  and  that,  when  all  is  black  and  ominous 
around,  there  may  be  a  light,  and  a  joy,  and  a  peace  within, 
which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away.  God 
singles  out  spiritual  characteristics  as  the  subjects  of  his  bless- 
ing ;  never  those  external  and  circumstantial  things  w^hich  flit 
and  pass  away  with  the  evanescence  of  the  flowers  of  summer, 
leaving  less  than  these  of  satisfaction  behind  them. 

Nor  are  they  pronounced  blessed  here  who  belong  to  some 


GENESia  XXIV.  205 

external  ecclesiastical  community.  God's  blessings  are  pro- 
nounced no  more  ijpon  ecclesiastical  distinction  than  they  are 
upon  political,  or  civil,  or  circumstantial  position.  The 
churchman  has  no  monopoly  of  blessing ;  the  dissenter  can 
claim  no  exclusive  spiritual  right.  God  looks  through  these 
—  the  outer  and  the  evanescent  distinctions,  and  he  stamps 
the  signature  of  his  own  benediction  where  he  has  impressed 
the  image  of  himself,  whatever  be  the  name  by  which  the 
subject  of  it  is  known,  or  whatever  be  the  form  in  which  the 
object  of 'it  worships.     "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord." 

Such  ones  may  be  blessed,  too,  who  are  cursed  of  men. 
Many  of  God's  saints  have  been  cursed  by  synods,  cursed  by 
popes,  cursed  by  general  councils ;  but  the  curse  has  never 
cleaved  to  them,  because  God  had  previously  blessed  them. 
All  the  Balaams  of  the  world  cannot  curse  where  God  hath 
blessed,  and  they  cannot  bless  if  God  has  cursed.  The 
blessed  of  the  Lord  may  be  cursed  from  all  the  points  of  the 
compass,  but  they  are  blessed  notwithstanding,  and  their 
blessing  no  man  taketh  from  them. 

But  who  are  they  that  may  be  said  to  be  emphatically 
blessed  ?  First,  they  who  are  justified  in  the  sight  of  God. 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  whose  sins  are  forgiven,  to  whom  the 
Lord  imputeth  no  iniquity."  No  man  is  really  happy,  un- 
less he  has  some  humble  reason  for  believing  that  his  sins  are 
blotted  out.  As  long  as  he  has  the  persuasion  that  his  sins 
cleave  to  him,  so  long  he  must  make  the  inference  that  the 
curse  follows  him.  The  shadow  does  not  more  surely  follow 
the  body  in  the  sunlight,  than  the  curse  follows  and  cleaves 
to  sin  upon  the  soul.  Man  was  made  holy  and  happy;  sin 
brought  the  curse,  not  God ;  and  wherever  there  is  the  curse 
tasted  in  its  bitterness  within,  or  stamped  and  branded  on  the 
man  without,  there  we  have  the  echo  of  sin,  the  shadow  of  in- 
iquity, the  absence  of  all  blessing ;  but  when  sin  is  blotted  out 
through  precious  blood,  and  the  sinner  is  justified  by  a  fin- 


206*  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

ished  righteousness,  God,  not  man,  says,  "  Blessed  is  the  man 
whose  sins  are  forgiven,  whose  iniquities  are  bbtted  out,  and 
unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  no  transgression."  He  then 
walks  the  Avorld  satisfied  that  he  walks  in  the  light  of  God's 
countenance,  and  he  lives,  and  labors,  and  worships,  and  dies 
in  perfect  peace,  because  he  has  seen  the  Lord's  salvation. 

He  who  is  thus  blessed  must  not  only  be  justified,  but  also 
sanctified.  If  it  were  possible  to  take  away  the  guilt  of 
man's  sin,  but  not  to  destroy  in  man's  heart  the  love  of  that  sin, 
man  would  not  be  happy.  We  must  not  only  have  a  right- 
eousness without,  so  that  we  shall  sufi"er  no  curse,  dread  no 
judgment,  and  be  certain  of  acquittal  at  the  last  tribunal ; 
but  we  must  also  have  that  happiness,  that  peace,  that  joy 
within  which  are  the  direct  fruits  of  a  heart  renewed  and  re- 
generated by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  Wherever  there  is  sin 
loved  by  the  heart,  casting  its  shadow  on  the  conscience,  there 
there  must  be  misery ;  but  as  soon  as  the  curse  of  sin  is  felt 
to  be  removed  by  the  "  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world,"  and  the  power,  the  pollution,  and  the  pref- 
erence of  sin  is  extirpated  by  the  Holy  Spirit  changing  the 
heart,  and  renewing  man's  nature,  then  such  a  one  has  all  the 
promise  of  peace  within,  all  the  certainty  of  progress  with- 
out, and  may  be  addressed  from  the  church  below,  or  from 
the  church  above,  "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord." 

We  have  a  string  of  benedictions  pronounced  by  Him  whose 
mouth  was  ever  eloquent  with  blessings,  and  ever  silent  in 
cursing.  "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit ;  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn ; 
for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  the  meek ;  for 
they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  Blessed  are  they  which 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness;  for  they  shall  be 
filled.  Blessed  are  the  merciful ;  for  they  shall  obtain  mercy. 
Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart ;  for  they  shall  see  God. 
Blessed  are  the  peacemakers ;  for  they  shall  be  called  the 


GENESIS   XXIV.  207 

children  of  God."  The  very  words  are  music,  the  innermost 
thoughts  are  blessed,  and  the  characteristics  of  those  who  are 
here  delineated  are  the  characteristics  of  those  who  are  blessed 
of  the  Lord,  and  therefore  blessed  indeed. 

Now,  in  what  respect  does  this  blessing  light  upon  those 
who  are  thus  blessed  ?  In  what  respect  are  they  blessed  ? 
First,  they  are  blessed  in  their  souls.  There  is  no  blessing  on 
man's  body  that  does  not  begin  as  a  root  and  a  spring  in 
man's  heart.  We  must  be  blessed  in  heart  before  we  can  be 
blessed  at  all.  And  when  the  blessing  is  pronounced  upon 
the  heart,  then  it  will  effloresce  and  cover  with  its  fragrance 
the  whole  life.  Anything  added  to  the  body  may  make  it 
appear  more  beautiful  before  men,  but  it  does  not  make  the 
soul  that  is  within  more  happy ;  but  the  blessing  that  is  pro- 
nounced upon  the  soul  casts  its  sunshine  out  upon  the  counte- 
nance, and  the  whole  man  is  blessed  and  happy  indeed  upon 
whose  soul  there  is  struck  the  benediction  of  Him  whose 
blessing  maketh  rich,  and  addeth  no  sorrow. 

In  the  second  place,  those  who  are  thus  blessed  in  the  Lord 
are  blessed  in  their  trials  and  in  their  sorrows.  It  seems 
strange  to  suppose  that  there  can  be  a  blessing  where  there  is 
bitterness  of  heart  within  and  weeping  eyes  without ;  and  yet 
there  may  be  a  blessing  there,  and  many  have  been  heard  to 
say  that  their  happiest  hours  were  their  saddest,  and  that 
when  the  world  saw  nothing  but  darkness,  and  their  spirits 
tasted,  in  one  respect,  nothing  but  bitterness,  there  was  an 
intermingling  element  of  joy  and  sunshine  stricken  through 
the  cloud  that  overshadowed  them,  that  made  them  count  it 
joy  when  they  fell  into  much  tribulation,  and  in  the  midst  of 
their  heaviness  feel  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 
Unblessed  sorrows  are  the  greatest  curses,  whereas  the  most 
poignant  and  bitter  trials,  when  blessed,  have  blossomed  with 
the  richest  blessings. 

Those  who  are  thus  blessed,  are  blessed  in  their  mercies 
18 


20S  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

and  in  their  prosperity.  You  can  understand  how  a  blessing 
is  needed  when  a  man  suffers ;  but  it  is  very  hard  to  learn 
that  a  blessing  is  as  truly  needed  when  a  man  prospers.  Nay, 
unblessed  sorrow,  bereavement,  aflBiiction, is  a  very  sad  thing; 
but  unblessed  prosperity  is  a  far  more  hardening  and  disas- 
trous phase  of  human  experience ;  and,  therefore,  if  we  pray 
that  God  would  bless  us  when  we  are  in  our  sorrows,  we 
ought  to  pray  with  yet  more  fervor  that  he  would  give  us 
his  blc.-:sing  when  our  sun  is  in  its  meridian,  when  all  is 
happiness  within,  and  all  is  brilliancy  and  bright  hope 
without.  Unblessed  sorrows  harden,  unblessed  prosperity 
hardens  still  more.  How  delightful  is  it  to  know  that  God 
has  said,  *'  I  will  bless  thy  bread  and  thy  water !  " 

And  those  who  are  thus  blessed  are  blessed  in  their  labors. 
"  Thou  shalt  eat  the  labor  of  thine  hands,"  is  the  promise, 
"  and  happy  shalt  thou  be  ;  and  it  shall  be  well  with  thee." 
Labor  that  is  not  blessed  may  be  productive  of  -profit,  but  it 
is  not  productive  of  happiness.  The  labor  that  is  blessed 
and  owned  of  God  will  be  made  to  conduce  to  unspeakable, 
and  lasting,  and  glorious  results.  A  little,  blessed  of  God,  is 
most  sweet ;  a  great  amount,  unblessed  by  him,  will  not  give 
satisfaction.  The  bread  that  is  earned  by  honest  toil,  and 
blessed  by  the  laborer's  God,  tastes  sweet  to  him  that  eats  it ; 
the  vastest  riches  accumulated  by  the  spoils  of  the  poor,  or 
obtained  by  plans  that  will  not  bear  the  inspection  or  endure 
the  light  and  the  judgment  of  God,  never  have  been  known 
in  the  experience  of  mankind  to  leave  any  lasting  happiness 
behind  them,  or  to  create  any  happiness,  joy,  and  peace  within. 

Let  us  then  labor,  and  pray  that  God's  blessing  would 
light  upon  the  labor  of  our  hands,  and  thus,  in  the  language 
of  his  own  promise,  "  Happy  shall  we  be,  and  it  shall  be  well 
with  us." 

They  that  are  thus  blessed  of  God,  in  the  next  place,  are 
blessed  in  their  relationships.     There  is  no  more  painful  trial 


GENESIS   XXIV.  209 

than  unsanctified  relationsliips  —  all  at  cross  purposes,  all 
jarring,  disagreement,  discord ;  and  there  is  nothing  that 
contributes  more  to  the  harmony  of  a  house,  or  to  the  bright- 
ness of  the  fireside,  than  when  all  that  dwell  within  are  of 
one  mind,  and  feel  that  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  is  in  the 
midst  of  them,  making  the  poorest  rich,  and  the  saddest 
happy,  and  consecrating  the  whole  household  a  church  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Those  who  are  thus  blessed  of  the  Lord  are  blessed  through- 
out all  eternity.  The  commencement  of  their  everlasting 
state  is,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  king- 
dom prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 

And  those,  in  the  next  place,  who  are  thus  blessed  of  the 
Lord,  may  test  the  reality  of  their  having  that  benediction  by 
what  they  do  for,  or  distribute  amongst,  others,  to  whom  the 
knowledge  of  that  blessing  has  long  been  strange.  He  who 
is  most  blessed  of  God  is  always  the  greatest  blessing  to  those 
that  are  about  him.  The  greatest  receiver  of  spiritual 
things  is  always  the  greatest  giver ;  and  the  more  he  gives 
the  more  he  gets,  till  he  learns,  by  blessed  and  practical  ex- 
perience, "  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  Hence 
the  beautiful  psalm  is  the  picture  of  the  blessed  man,  "  God 
be  merciful  to  us,  and  bless  us,  and  cause  thy  face  to  shine 
upon  us."  Why  ?  That  we  ourselves  may  be  happy  ?  No, 
that  is  not  the  main  end  ;  but  the  psalmist  adds,  "  That  thy 
way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  thy  saving  health  among  all 
nations."  That  is,  "  God  bless  us,  that  we  may  be  made 
blessings."  Do  not  make  us  like  the  barren  sand,  that  absorbs 
the  rain,  the  sunbeams,  and  the  dews,  and  produces  nothing ; 
but  make  us  like  the  good  soil,  that  responds  to  the  sun  and 
the  rains  of  the  sky,  and  bears  much  fruit,  and  glows  and 
shines  with  golden  harvests,  a  blessing  and  a  benefit  to  all 
mankind. 

Thus,  we  see  who  they  are  who  are  invited  by  a  Christian 


210  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

in  these  words,  "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord."  Eut 
Laban  adds,  "  Come  in ;  why  standest  thou  without  ?  "  Now, 
to  what  should  we  invite  such  ?  First,  we  ought  to  invite 
them  to  our  friendshii?.  Our  permanent  friends  should,  if 
possible,  be  Christians.  The  sweetener  and  the  cement  of 
the  purest  friendship  is  the  grace  of  God.  The  friendship 
that  is  denuded  of,  or  exhausted  of,  that  grace,  may  have 
much  to  recommend  it  in  the  estimate  of  the  world,  but  it  is 
destitute  of  that  which  will  make  it  cohere,  impart  real  de- 
light, and  outlast  the  grave,  and  be  resumed  when  suns  shall 
rise  and  set  no  more. 

In  the  next  place,  we  ought  to  say  to  such  blessed  ones, 
Come  into  our  family.  The  companions  of  our  homes,  the 
inmates  of  our  houses,  ought  not  to  be  those  only  who  have 
the  most  sparkling  wit,  the  most  accomplished  minds,  the 
greatest  wealth,  the  greatest  rank  ;  but  prior  to  all  these  ad- 
ventitious, circumstantial,  and  perishing  distinctions,  ought  to 
bethis  great  requirement, —  that  they  give  evidence  of  being 
blessed  of  the  Lord,  and  are  blessings  by  grace  to  all  that 
are  around  them. 

It  is  such,  too,  that  we  ought  to  invite  to  our  communion 
table.  They  that  are  blessed  of  the  Lord,  whatever  denomi- 
nation they  belong  to,  are  welcome  to  that  table.  Ministers 
may  exclude  them  by  proscriptive  distinctions,  that  have  no 
counterpart  in  God's  word ;  they  may  be  cursed  by  popes, 
priests,  councils,  and  synods ;  they  may,  even  by  themselves, 
be  pronounced  unworthy ;  but,  yet,  if  they  know  that  they 
are  blessed  of  God,  by  having  some  of  the  blessedness  of 
him  whose  sins  are  forgiven ;  if  they  are  sure  that  they  are 
blessed  of  God,  by  having  their  hearts  respond  in  this  way  — 
"  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  we  love  thee,"  such  give  evidence 
that  they  are  blessed  of  God,  and  such  should  be  welcome  to 
our  communion  table,  to  show  forth  the  death  of  Him  who 
loved  us,  and  died  for  us,  and  rose  again. 


GENESIS   XXIV.  211 

And,  lastly,  such  as  these,  thus  blessed  of  the  Lord,  will 
be  invited  at  the  last  day  to  come  unto  that  table  that  never 
shall  be  ended ;  to  come  into  that  home,  in  whose  roof-tree 
joys  shall  nestle  continually,  and  into  the  presence  of  Him  at 
whose  right  hand  are  pleasures  for  evermore. 

Are  you  thus  blessed  ?  Are  you  thus  forgiven  ?  Are 
you  thus  renewed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  ?  If  so,  it 
matters  little,  comparatively,  what  church  you  prefer,  what 
form  of  worship  you  adopt ;  you  have  the  main  thing ;  you 
can  be  easily  forgiven  the  circumstantial  and  the  accidental ; 
for  whom  God  pronounces  a  Christian,  is  one  indeed ;  whereas 
he  who  is  proclaimed  so  by  sects,  and  systems,  and  parties, 
may  have  indeed  a  baptism  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh,  but 
may  nevertheless  be  destitute  of  the  inner  and  true  baptism, 
which  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  alone  can  bestow,  without 
which  we  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
18=^ 


CHAPTER    XXy. 

ABBAHAM'S   aL^JORIAGE HIS   DEATH  —  NONE    PERFECT JACOB'S    SINS 

—  ESAU'S  APOSTASY. 

You  will  just  remember  the  connection  between  the  chapter 
I  have  read  and  the  previous  chapters  which  we  have  read 
on  successive  Sabbath  mornings. 

We  find  Abraham,  in  this,  drawing  near  to  the  close  of  his 
life,  and  about  to  enter  the  house  appointed  to  all  living. 
Some  have  supposed  that  this  Keturah  was  the  secondary 
wife  of  Abraham,  for  such  was  the  relationship  that  Hagar 
sustained.  Some  have  even  thought  that  she  was  actually 
Hagar ;  but,  if  not  Hagar,  that  she  was  at  least  a  secondary 
wife  in  Sarah's  days,  and  was  not  married  to  Abraham  at  the 
time  indicated  here,  as  it  would  appear  from  our  translation, 
but  long  prior  to  this  period.  In  fact,  the  translation  might 
justly  be,  "  Abraham  had  taken  a  wife,"  or  "  had  a  wife, 
and  her  name  was  Keturah." 

We  then  have  the  children  that  sprung  from  her,  on  the 
one  hand ;  from  Ishmael  the  son  of  the  bondwoman,  Hagar, 
upon  the  other ;  and  we  have  the  generation  of  Isaac,  the 
eon  of  Sarah,  and  the  heir  of  the  promises,  on  the  other  hand. 

All  these  were  the  commencements  of  great  nations  ;  and 
to  no  book  can  you  go,  but  to  the  word  of  God,  in  order  to 
find  the  springs  of  races,  the  secrets  of  their  diversities  of 
character,  and  the  reason  of  the  success  of  one,  the  deorada- 
tion  of  another,  and  often  the  extinction  of  a  third. 

It  is  not  true  that  every  portion  of  the  Bible  is  equally 


GENESIS   XXV.  213 

edifying  to  every  person.  Every  portion  of  the  Bible  has  its 
own  definite  use,  value  and  importance  ;  but  because  a  chapter 
may  not  be  edifying  to  me  as  an  individual,  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  does  not  play  a  very  important  and  momentous  part  in 
the  economy  of  God,  and  cast  a  light  where  all  else  had  been 
shadow,  and  give  a  solution  where  all  besides  had  been  per- 
plexity and  misapprehension.  We  must  ever  regard  God's 
book  as  a  picture  of  all  mankind  as  they  are  by  nature  and 
by  grace ;  a  picture  of  what  God  is  in  himself,  and  what  he 
feels  towards  us ;  and  we  must  see  in  it,  not  what  man  would 
often  prefer  to  see,  but  what  is  fact,  what  is  truth,  and  what 
conduces  on  the  largest  scale  at  once  to  the  glory  of  God 
and  to  the  good  of  those  to  whom  it  is  brought  home. 

In  this  passage  we  have  the  explanation  of  the  history  of 
the  origin  of  great  nations.  We  have  the  first  divergence  of 
two  remarkable  septs  or  sections  of  the  human  family,  namely, 
the  descendants  of  Esau,  or  Edom,  as  he  was  called ;  and  the 
descendants  of  Isaac,  of  whom  sprung  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
according  to  the  flesh. 

Every  character  whose  biography  is  given  in  Scripture, — 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, —  have  all  sins,  often  grievous 
sins.  They  are  impartially  written  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 
And  the  reason  of  this  is,  that  the  Bible  is  not  a  mere  pro- 
file of  any  character,  but  a  portrait  of  the  whole  face,  aspect, 
and  character  of  man.  If  I  had  been  a  Jew,  anxious  simply 
to  make  my  nation  look  great,  and  had  it  in  my  power  to  do 
so,  I  should  have  painted  Abraham  a  perfect  character ;  but 
the  very  fact,  that  Abraham's  sins  are  as  distinctly  specified  as 
Abraham's  virtues,  is  evidence  that  no  partial  Jew,  full  of 
national  conceit,  sketched  that  character,  but  that  he  was 
sketched  by  Him  who  describes  man  as  he  is,  and  yet  tells 
man  what  he  should  be.  And,  hence,  when  we  read  here  of 
Isaac  having  a  preference  for  Esau,  the  least  beautiful  and 
interesting  of  his  sons,  for  very  mean  reasons,  while  Rebekah 


214  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

had  a  preference  to  Jacob ;  and  when  we  read  again  of  Jacob 
getting  the  birthright,  not  by  fair  plaj,  but  in  some  way  by 
deception,  let  us  recollect  that  these  things  are  not  recorded 
for  us  to  imitate,  but  rather  for  us  to  avoid.  There  are  lights 
at  harbors  to  guide  the  ship  safely  into  the  haven  ;  and  there 
are  beacons  at  sea  to  warn  the  ship  off  the  shoals  and  rocks 
on  which  she  may  be  wrecked.  Now,  there  are  in  God's  book 
beacons  as  well  as  guides;  precedents  that  we  are  to  imitate, 
as  well  as  recorded  perils,  sins  and  errors,  that  we  are  care- 
fully to  avoid.  We  must  judge  of  duty,  not  by  character 
illustrating  or  violating  it,  but  we  must  judge  of  duty  by  what 
God  says.  His  holy  law  is  the  standard ;  the  man  who  comes 
short  of  that,  we  are  not  to  imitate,  in  as  far  as  he  comes  short 
of  it ;  but  rather  to  deplore  his  error,  and  to  strive  by  grace 
to  avoid  the  rock  on  which  he  made  shipwreck. 

We  thus  see  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  portrayed  just  as 
they  were,  their  sins  and  their  excellences,  their  faults  and 
their  perfections ;  we  have  also  laid  down  the  great  law  of 
imitation  of  them,  which  is,  just  as  far  as  they  followed  Christ. 
We  are  neither  to  imitate  their  sins,  nor  to  worship  them  for 
their  excellences,  but  to  follow  them  in  their  good  doings,  as 
far  as  they  were  good,  and  to  avoid  their  errors  and  their 
sins,  as  far  as  they  were  so ;  and  to  thank  God  that  we  know 
more  clearly  and  more  fully,  by  life  and  immortality  being 
brought  to  light  in  the  gospel,  than  they  did,  the  things  that 
belong  to  our  peace,  and  beautify  and  ennoble  the  character 
of  man. 

We  behold  in  Esau  the  founder  of  one  great  tribe,  and  in 
Jacob  the  founder  of  another.  In  Jacob  we  see  sins  as  well 
as  in  Esau  ;  but  we  find  a  great  sin  in  Esau,  for  which  he  is 
reprehended  by  the  apostle  — he  sold  his  birthright.  What 
was  his  birthright  ?  It  was,  that  he  was  the  eldest  son  of 
the  family,  that  he  was  entitled  to  the  largest  share  of  the 
inheritance  ;  that  it  was  the  highest  honor  and  dignity.     He 


GENESIS    XXV.  215 

came  home  from  hunting  hungry,  and,  in  the  recklessness  of 
his  character,  he  sold  that  which  he  could  sell,  that  which  was 
his  highest  honor  and  his  greatest  excellence,  for  a  little  food 
that  was  given  him  by  Jacob. 

My  dear  friends,  let  us  never  sell  that  which  we  believe 
to  be  true  for  anything  upon  earth.  Our  birthright,  blessed 
be  God,  is  an  open  Bible,  —  let  us  never  part  with  it ;  free- 
dom to  worship  God  as  in  our  consciences  we  believe  to  be 
right,  —  let  us  never  surrender  it.  If  we  give  up  an  open 
Bible,  freedom  of  worship,  our  social,  our  national,  our 
Christian  privileges  and  prerogatives,  you  may  write  upon 
oui'  altars,  and  upon  our  real  greatness,  "  Ichabod,  Ichabod, 
the  glory  is  departed."  Let  us  hold  fast  what  we  know  to 
be  true ;  let  us  give  up  any  prejudice,  or  anything  that  we 
prefer  that  would  please  and  propitiate  a  brother ;  but  let 
us  never  surrender  on  any  terms,  or  for  any  prospect,  these 
great  truths,  that  God's  word  alone  is  the  light  to  our  feet, 
the  lamp  to  our  path ;  that  Jesus  alone  is  our  sacrifice  and 
our  Saviour  ;  and  that  there  is  to  us  a  way  to  heaven 
without  obstruction,  without  let  or  hinderance,  through  the 
shed  blood  and  the  finished  righteousness  of  Christ  the 
Saviour. 

Other  mothers  than  Bebekah  give  birth  to  sons  of  very 
contrary  and  conflicting  characters.  Sin  has  disarranged  and 
disordered  nature ;  but  grace  can  turn  Esau  into  Jacob,  and 
both  into  the  likeness  of  Christ. 

Esau's  great  and  irrecoverable  loss  lay  in  his  exchang- 
ing a  great  and  precious  spiritual  privilege  for  an  earthly 
and  merely  sensual  gratification.  Are  there  no  Esaus 
among  ourselves  ?  Are  there  not  men  in  every  age  ready 
to  surrender  precious  truths,  and  solemn  obligations,  and 
vital  interests,  to  mere  party,  to  political  expediency,  to 
worldly  preferment  ?  I  fear  there  are  political  Esaus,  and 
literary  Esaus,  and  ecclesiastical  Esaus,  in  the  nineteenth 


216  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

century.  Let  me  impress  on  all  such  the  very  solemn 
thought,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  An  interest  in  the  Saviour 
is  safety  ;  obedience  to  him  is  peace ;  likeness  to  him  is  joy ; 
faith  in  him  is  salvation.  These  are  weighty  truths  that 
have  no  equivalents  on  earth. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


FAMINE   IN   CANAAN  —  ISAAC'S   ORDEKS  —  EXPEDIENCY WORLDLY  AN© 

CHRISTIAN  LOGIC BAD  EXAMPLE ANCIENT  WELLS  —  THE  TENT  AND 

THE  ALTAR — ESAU'S   SINFUL   MARRIAGE. 


In  the  previous  portions  of  the  book  from  which  we  are 
reading,  Canaan  was  pointed  out  to  Abraham  as  the  prom- 
ised land ;  and  he  received  from  God  the  oath,  the  promise, 
and  the  pledge  that,  as  such,  he  should  inherit  that  land. 

It  must  have  been  most  discouraging  to  Isaac,  who  was  an 
heir  of  the  promise,  when  he  came  into  this  promised  land,  to 
have,  as  he  entered  and  crossed  its  very  threshold,  to  battle 
with  famine,  and  the  possibility,  or  rather  the  probability, 
of  absolute  starvation.  It  is  stated,  "  There  was  a  famine 
in  the  land."  Poor  pledge,  surely,  of  the  fulfilment  of 
promise ! 

Often  God  inflicts  chastisement  the  sorest  when  he  is  about 
to  bestow  the  richest  blessing ;  and  it  is  when  the  sunshine 
bursts  through  the  cloud,  and  the  day  brightens  after  the 
rain,  and  food  comes  after  famine,  —  it  is,  in  short,  in  the 
cessation  of  all  human  means,  so  that  man,  if  he  saw  not 
beyond,  would  despair,  and  in  the  instant  and  unexpected 
descent  of  blessings,  that  we  learn  to  see  God's  hand  where 
we  did  not  see  it  before,  and  to  bless  him  for  making  man's 
extremity  his  kind  opportunity. 

"  The  Lord  appeared  unto  Isaac,  and  said.  Go  not  down 
into  Egypt."  There  is  a  great  deal  of  practical  wisdom  here. 
The  tendency  of  man,  when  he  is  in  extreme  want,  is  to  have 


218  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

recourse  to  improper  means  to  relieve  it.  The  tendency  of 
the  Israelites,  on  a  famine  occurring  in  Canaan,  was  not  to 
trust  where  they  should,  but  to  go  to  Egypt  for  help ;  but 
such  a  plan  then,  and  now,  is  found  in  the  long-run  to  be  the 
least  successful  way.  The  most  successful  way  is  to  keep  at 
the  post  where  God  has  placed  us,  and  ever  to  feel  assured 
that  the  post  of  duty  is,  not  simply  the  post  of  safety,  but  the 
place  of  the  enjo}Tnent  of  the  greatest  available  happiness. 
It  is  always  safe  to  remain  where  God  has  placed  us ;  it  is 
always  perilous  to  set  sail  upon  what  seems  expedient  to  us, 
histead  of  steering  by  the  chart,  the  compass  and  the  pole-^ 
star  that  God  has  given  us.  And,  therefore,  God  said,  "  Go 
not  down  into  Eg^pt,"  —  however  tempted  to  do  so.  Tmst, 
and  wait. 

Then  he  repeats,  what  ?  A  promise  of  spiritual  blessings, 
in  order  to  cheer  him  in  temporal  distress  :  —  "I  will  be  with 
thee,"  —  and  if  God,  the  all-sufficient,  is  with  one,  one  need 
fear  no  evil,  —  "  and  will  bless  thee."  Even  prosperity,  with- 
out God,  is  not  a  blessing ;  whereas  affliction,  with  God,  is  a 
blessing.  God's  presence,  God's  power,  God's  blessing,  make 
the  darkest  nights  bright ;  and  the  absence  of  that  blessing 
makes  the  brightest  days  dark.  And,  therefore,  an  ancient 
Christian  could  say,  "Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom, 
neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall 
fail,  and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  the  flocks  shall  be  cut 
ofiF  from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls ;  yet 
I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salva- 
tion. The  Lord  God  is  my  strength,  and  he  will  make  my 
feet  like  hinds'  feet,  and  he  will  make  me  to  walk  upon  mine 
high  places." 

Next,  he  assures  Isaac.  Unpromising  as  the  present  state 
is,  yet,  "  Unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed,  I  will  give  all  these 
countries,  and  I  will  perform  the  oath  which  I  sware  unto 
Abraham,  thy  father."     Therefore,  do  not  judge  of  my  liber- 


GENESIS    XXVI.  219 

ality  by  present  appearances ;  do  not  think  that  I  have 
forgotten  you  because  a  famine  has  overtaken  you.  Most 
thoughtless,  worldly  men  reason  thus  :  I  am  in  great  trouble ; 
there  is  a  great  famine  ;  therefore  God  is  angry  with  me.  A 
Christian  reasons  in  a  direction  just  the  reverse.  He  says, 
Grod  is  my  Father ;  I  am  in  great  trouble ;  therefore  that 
trouble  will  do  me  good,  whether  I  see  it  or  not.  The  world- 
ly man  reasons  from  what  he  suffers,  and  thereby  infers  that 
God  is  angry  ;  —  the  Christian  reasons  from  what  God  is,  — 
our  Father,  —  and  he  infers,  therefore,  nothing  can  betide  me 
that  will  not  do  me  good.  A  Christian  plants  his  foot  on  the 
rock  of  the  fatherhood  of  God,  and  then  he  sees  light  and 
darkness,  sunshine  and  shadow,  adversity  and  prosperity, — 
all  conspiring  and  cooperating  to  bless  him,  and  to  do  him 
good. 

Then  "Isaac,"  we  are  told,  "dwelt  in  Gerar;"  and  here, 
it  is  recorded,  a  painful  episode  occurred  in  his  biography, 
almost  the  same  that  twice  occurred  in  the  life  of  Abraham. 
He  feared  danger,  and  he  did  what  too  many  still  do  —  had 
recourse  to  a  falsehood  to  escape  it.  But  you  have  always 
found  —  every  school-boy  can  tell  you  —  that  a  falsehood 
told  to  avoid  a  contingent  danger,  is  the  very  way  to  rush 
into  a  greater  and  a  worse  than  you  ever  feared.  And 
here,  too,  let  us  see  how  inveterate  human  nature  is,  and 
how  contagious  a  bad  precedent  is.  Isaac  repeated  what 
his  father  did,  imitating  his  example,  and  forgetting  his 
lessons. 

My  dear  friends,  let  every  parent  here  learn  and  recollect 
that  his  child's  memory  may  forget  the  lessons  that  it  was 
taught,  but  his  child's  habit  will  not  forget  or  give  up  readily 
the  impressions  from  your  example  that  it  has  seen.  It  is 
not  a  father's  lesson  that  teaches,  it  is  a  father's  life.  It  is 
not  what  one  says,  but  what  one  is,  that  is  so  impressive  in 
one's  home.  And,  therefore,  Abraham's  good  lesson  was  here 
19 


220  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

forgotten,  and  Abraham's  twice-seen  bad  example  in  this  case 
was  accurately  copied,  as  if  it  had  been  a  stereotype  and  a 
fixture  forever. 

This  Abimelech  seems  not  to  have  been  the  same  whom  we 
hear  of  in  Abraham's  history.  It  appears  to  have  been  the 
name  applied  to  the  kings  of  Canaan,  in  the  same  way  as 
the  name  "  Pharaoh "  was  applied  to  the  kings  of  Egypt, 
and  "  Caesar  "  to  the  emperors  of  Rome.  This  Abimelech 
discovered  that  Isaac  had  deceived  him,  because  he  saw  a 
familiarity  between  Isaac  and  Rebekah,  that  indicated  they 
were  related  to  each  other  in  closer  bonds  than  those  of 
friendship ;  and  he  rebuked  him  for  what  he  had  done. 

Isaac's  sin  was  forgiven,  and  God's  promise  did  not  fail  on 
account  of  it ;  for  it  is  said,  that  "  Isaac  sowed  in  that  land," 
where  the  famine  had  been,  "  and  received  in  the  same  year 
an  hundred  fold."  Thus  God  in  judgment  remembers  mercy. 
lie  took,  in  this  instance,  God's  way,  and  he  received,  in  doing 
so,  God's  blessing. 

We  read,  in  this  chapter  and  elsewhere  in  this  book,  a 
great  deal  about  wells.  We  can  scarcely  understand  this, 
as  inhabitants  of  a  city,  or  even  as  inhabitants  of  a  western 
or  northern  country.  But  in  these  eastern  climes  wells  are 
more  precious  than  wine ;  and  to  stop  a  well  is  one  of  the 
greatest  acts  of  inhospitality,  and  to  dig  a  well  is  one  of  the 
greatest  charities  that  a  king,  even,  can  confer  on  the  people 
of  those  eastern  lands.  And  this  explains  what  the  Psalmist 
said  (Psa.  84:  6,  7),  "Who  passing  through  the  valley  of 
Baca,  make  it  a  well ;  the  rain  also  filleth  the  pools.  They 
go  from  strength  to  strength;  every  one  of  them  in  Zion 
appeareth  before  God,"  —  that  is,  through  the  long  valley 
which  they  had  to  traverse  in  approaching  the  temple  of  God, 
in  a  sultry  climate,  a  well  of  water  was  most  refreshing,  and 
the  pilgrim  who  dug  it  bequeathed  it  to  those  who  were  to 
come  behind  him.     So,  Cluistian  men  erect  schools,  as  wells 


GENESIS   XXVI.  221 

in  the  world's  wide  desert,  and  they  that  had  drunk  from 
broken  cisterns,  or  dropped  down  by  the  way,  are  refreshed, 
and  journey  on. 

In  this  instance,  such  was  the  inhospitality  of  the  heathen 
inhabitants,  that  they  went  and  stopped  up  the  wells  which 
Abraham's  and  Isaac's  servants  had  digged ;  that  is,  they  did 
not  make  use  of  them  themselves,  which  one  could  understand, 
but  they  put  an  end  to  them  by  filling  them  with  earth,  lest 
others  should  profit  by  them.  So  the  Pope  neither  reads  the 
Bible  himself,  nor  allows  others  to  do  so.  People  are  in  the 
world  who  are  so  envious  of  another's  blessings,  that  they 
would  extinguish  them,  and  so  careless  of  their  own  profit  that 
they  deprive  themselves  that  others  may  also  be  deprived. 

Isaac,  however,  did  not  fight  about  the  wells ;  but,  as  they 
stopped  up  one,  he  just  went  and  dug  another.  He  did  not 
quarrel  about  any  particular  well,  but  went  and  instantly 
prepared  another,  willing,  as  long  as  there  was  room  and 
provision  for  him  and  his,  as  much  as  lay  in  him,  to  live 
peaceably  with  all  men. 

"  Isaac  builded  an  altar  there,  and  called  upon  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  and  pitched  his  tent  there."  Now,  it  is  proper 
here  to  observe,  that,  whilst  Isaac  copied  a  bad  precedent  in 
his  father's  life,  he  was  not  insensible  to  his  good,  his  bright, 
and  holy  acts  and  examples  also.  You  remember  we  read 
in  a  previous  chapter  that,  wherever  Abraham  pitched  his 
tent,  there  he  built  an  altar.  Isaac  has  caught  this  beautiful 
trait,  and  so,  where  he  pitched  his  tent,  there  he  raised  his 
altar.  Wherever  the  tent  is  spread,  there  the  altar  should 
be  built.  Wherever  there  is  a  home,  there  there  ought  to  be 
the  recognition  of  God.  Wherever  there  is  a  family,  there 
there  ought  to  be  family  worship.  The  tent  will  be  more 
beautiful ;  its  stakes  will  be  more  strong,  because  the  God  in 
whom  we  live  and  move,  and  have  our  being,  and  from  wb  om 


222  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

our  blessings  come,  is  recognized,  and  worshipped,  and  looked 
to  beneath  its  shadow. 

Is  there  an  altar  in  mj  tent  ?  Have  I  a  God,  adored  and 
loved,  and  recognized,  in  my  home  ?  Religion,  my  dear  friends, 
is  not  a  thing  for  the  four  consecrated  walls  of  a  sanctuary 
only,  but  an  element  suitable  and  serviceable  for  every  home. 
It  is  more  beautiful  in  homes,  the  first  churches,  than  in 
churches  so  called.  No  matins  or  vespers  in  a  church  should 
be  substituted  for  family  worship.  In  the  home,  the  father 
is  the  priest,  the  head  of  his  family,  and  he  ought  to  have  the 
altar  raised  where  God  has  allowed  him  to  pitch  his  tent. 

We  read  that  the  inhabitants  saw,  in  the  next  place,  that 
Isaac  and  his  family  were  getting  strong,  and  therefore  they 
asked  him  to  enter  into  a  compact  with  them,  to  spare  them, 
which  he  readily  did.  God's  blessing  made  him  rich  and 
strong,  and  the  people  saw  it. 

Esau,  who  was  rejected,  and  had  sold  his  birthright,  begins 
here  to  develop  all  the  traits  of  that  character  that  that  first 
act  indicated  ;  for  "  he  was  forty  years  old  when  he  took  to 
wife  Judith,"  not,  as  Isaac  took  Rebekah,  a  child  of  God,  but 
"  the  daughter  of  Beeri  the  Hittite  ;"  and,  not  satisfied  with 
one,  he  married  also  "  Rashemath  the  daughter  of  Elon  the 
Hittite,"  both  of  the  colonies  and  tribes  of  the  heathen  Ca- 
naan, not  yet  cast  out.  He  sinned  twice,  by  bigamy,  and  by 
marrying  idolaters.  And  then  it  is  added,  with  exquisite 
eloquence  and  touching  pathos,  which  signify  more  than  the 
words  seem  to  express,  "  which  were  a  grief  of  mind  unto" 
the  pious  "  Isaac  and  to"  the  Christian  "  Rebekah,"  —  a  fact 
found  still  in  many  a  household,  and  painfully  disturbing 
many  a  happy  family. 


THE    PROMISED    REWARD. 

"  And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  Isaac  the  same  night,  and  said,  I  am  the 
God  of  Abraham  thy  father  ;  fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  bless 
thee,  and  multiply  thy  seed  for  my  servant  Abraham's  sake." —  Genesis 
XXVI.  24. 

Isaac  seems  to  have  been  of  a  desponding  temper  of  mind. 
God,  therefore,  apparently  in  condescension  to  his  weakness, 
frequently  renews  his  promise  of  a  gracious  presence,  and  en- 
courages him,  by  cheering  exhortations,  to  go  on  and  accom- 
plish the  great  mission  which  had  been  assigned  him.  He 
appears  to  him  in  the  commencement  of  the  chapter,  when  he 
said,  "  Sojourn  in  this  land,  and  I  will  be  with  thee,  and 
will  bless  thee  ;  for  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed,  I  will  give 
all  these  countries,  and  I  will  perform  the  oath  which  I  sware 
unto  Abraham  thy  father  ;  and  I  will  make  thy  seed  to  multi- 
ply as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  will  give  unto  thy  seed  all 
these  countries ;  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
be  blessed."  Paul  tells  us  what  seed  this  was  :  "  Not  unto 
seeds  as  of  many,  but  unto  one  seed,  that  is,  Christ,  were  the 
promises  made."  Abraham  and  Isaac  were  selected  to  be  the 
progenitors  of  Jesus,  according  to  the  flesh,  in  whom  alone 
the  promises  are  yea  and  amen ;  and  by  his  spiritual,  not 
natural,  offspring  are  these  promises  to  be  realized.  To  be 
Abraham's  children  according  to  the  flesh,  is  worth  little ;  to 
be  Abraham's  children  by  faith  in  Christ,  is  to  be  the  children 
of  God,  joint  heirs  with  Christ,  and  inheritors  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven. 

19# 


224  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

To  Isaac  desponding,  then,  and  depressed  by  the  trials,  the 
controversies,  and  the  disputes  he  had  gone  through  with 
Abimclech  and  others,  God  renews  the  consolatory  exhorta- 
tion or  promise,  "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee."  God's 
people  have  their  times  of  fear,  as  well  as  Isaac.  No  man 
looks  into  the  future  without  fears;  few  can  anticipate  a 
month,  a  year,  much  less  the  rest  of  life,  without  misgivings, 
doubts,  perplexities,  —  sinful  they  may  be,  but  real.  It  is  to 
those,  then,  who  fear,  —  that  is,  to  the  children  of  Abraham 
by  faith,  yet  more  truly  than  to  the  children  of  Abraham  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh,  —  that  the  promise  is  made,  "  Fear  not, 
for  I  am  with  thee." 

The  basis  of  not  fearing  is  the  promise,  "  I  am  with  thee." 
You  may  fear,  if  you  look  into  the  future  without  God's 
promise ;  but  hearing  in  it  the  music  of  that  promise,  and 
assured  of  the  certainty  of  its  fulfilment,  you  may  look  into 
the  darkest  future,  and  yet  not  be  afraid.  This  promise  is  the 
stafif  and  the  rod  with  which  we  go  into  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  and  fear  no  evil. 

Try  to  realize  the  presence  of  God  as  the  presence  of  a  per- 
sonal and  actual  Being.  We  are  too  apt  to  think,  when  we 
pray,  that  we  shoot  words  into  the  skies,  or  speak  to  empty 
space.  "We  think  of  God  as  the  God  of  the  earth,  the  God  of 
the  stars,  the  God  of  fixed  laws,  and  the  God  of  uniformity  ; 
and  we  so  mix  him  up  with  what  philosophers  call  laws  and 
second  causes,  and  what  the  eye  sees  to  be  nature,  that 
we  lose  a  sense  of  his  personality  as  our  very  Father,  our 
very  Friend,  our  very  Guide.  We  may  feel,  respecting  God's 
presence,  if  we  be  his,  as  if  his  hand  were  laid  upon  every 
shoulder,  as  if  the  sunshine  of  his  presence  illuminated  every 
footstep,  and  as  if  we  heard  him  with  the  outer  ear,  as  Isaac 
heard  him  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  saying  to  me,  to  thee, 
to  each,  to  all,  "  Fear  not,  for  /"  —  not  a  law  of  nature,  but 
a  living,  personal  Friend  and  Father  —  "  am  with  thee." 


GENESIS   XXVI.  225 

But  is  not  God  with  everybody,  whether  he  be  a  child  of 
Abraham  or  not  ?  Is  not  the  139th  Psalm  true,  whether  we 
be  Christians  or  not  ?  Is  it  not  true  of  every  man,  "  If  1 
ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there  :  if  I  make  my  bed  in 
hell,  behold,  thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea  ;  even 
there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me  and  thy  right  hand  shall  hold 
me  ? "  That  is  his  essential  presence,  and  in  that  sense  he  is 
as  much  present  with  the  apostate  church,  as  he  is  with  the 
apostolic  church ;  he  is  as  much  present  with  the  fiends  in 
hell,  as  with  his  friends  and  worshippers  on  earth.  As  far  as 
God's  essential  presence  is  concerned,  he  is  everywhere ;  for 
there  is  no  place  where  he  is  not.  But  the  presence  that  is 
here  promised,  is  that  which  Moses  described  when  he  said, 
"If  thy  presence  go  not  with  us,  carry  us  not  up  hence."  It 
is  a  special  presence,  a  paternal  presence,  a  providential  and 
a  protecting  presence,  —  the  presence  of  a  Father  with  a  child, 
not  of  a  foe  with  a  foe  ;  the  presence  of  a  Father  to  protect 
us,  of  a  Sun  to  enlighten  us ;  the  presence  of  God,  in  all  his 
attributes  of  power,  of  omnipresence,  omniscience,  goodness, 
mercy,  grace,  love.  In  all  these  respects  God  is  with  his 
people,  and  with  them  even  to  the  end. 

This  presence,  which  belongs  to  the  people  of  God  as  con- 
tradistinguished from  that  presence  which  fills  all  space,  is 
with  them,  in  all  its  beneficent  influences,  as  truly  as  God's 
omnipresence  is  with  all  creation  in  physical  and  ceaseless 
contact.  In  all  places  God  is  present  with  his  people,  — ■-  in 
the  closet,  in  the  family,  in  the  sanctuary,  in  the  tents  of 
Mesech,  and  in  the  tabernacles  of  Kedar  ;  on  Pisgah,  on  Sinai, 
—  wherever  they  are,  wherever  God's  providence  may  carry 
them,  wherever  the  arrangements  of  the  world  may  necessi- 
tate their  going;  on  the  field  of  battle,  on  the  ocean's  bosom, 
in  the  cradle,  in  the  sepulchre,  forever  and  everywhere, — 
God  is  present  with  his  people.     This  is  not  a  conjecture,  but 


226  SCRIPTURE    RrVDTNGS. 

an  absolute  certainty.  AYe  may  be  as  sure  of  it  as  that  we 
exist.  Respiration  and  inspiration  are  not  more  certain  than 
the  paternal,  friendly,  protecting,  preserving,  providing  pres- 
ence of  God  with  his  believing  people. 

And  he  is  with  them,  too,  at  all  times,  as  well  as  in  all 
places.  In  youth,  in  middle  age,  in  old  age,  "  in  all  time  of  our 
wealth,  in  all  time  of  our  tribulation,  in  the  hour  of  death, 
and  in  the  day  of  jugment,"  "fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee." 

Let  us  mark  well  the  personality  of  this :  "  I  am  with 
Mee," —  the  humblest  Christian  as  well  as  the  highest.  How- 
ever obscure  in  this  world,  yet  you  are  seen,  known,  protected^ 
and  preserved  by  God.  All  his  angels  encamp  about  you,  all 
his  attributes  envelop  you.  God  is  as  truly  with  the  hum- 
blest child  that  believes  in  him  as  he  is  with  the  cherubim 
and  the  seraphim  that  are  in  the  sky,  or  with  the  saints  in 
glory  that  surround  his  throne. 

"  I  am  with  thee."  What  a  blessed  thought!  We  may 
forget  him ;  he  forgets  not  us.  We  may  sometimes  think  we 
can  hide  ourselves  from  him,  but  he  will  follow  us.  "  I  am 
with  thee."  And  the  reality  of  that  is  not  contingent  upon 
the  response  of  gratitude  that  we  give  to  it,  but  upon  the 
promise  which  often,  in  spite  of  us,  is  yea  and  amen  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

Believers  fear  often,  and  need  such  a  promise  as  this. 
"  Fear  not,"  says  God  to  Isaac,  "  for  I  am  with  thee."  What 
is  it  that  you  fear  when  you  look  into  the  future  ?  Do  you 
fear  the  failure  of  provision  for  yourself  and  for  yours  ? 
Sometimes  you  think,  "  My  health  may  fail,  my  resources 
give  way  ;  and  how  shall  I  find  bread  for  me  and  mine,  and 
raiment  to  put  on  ?  "  Fear  not.  To  fear  is  to  doubt  the 
faithfulness,  the  love,  the  omnipotence  of  God.  *'  Thy  bread 
shall  be  given  thee,  thy  water  shall  be  sure."  "  Behold  the 
fowls  of  the  air;  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor 
gather  into  barns ;  and  yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth 


GENESIS  XXVI.  227 

them.  Are  ye  not  mucli  better  than  they?"  We  have  no 
business  to  calculate,  as  we  gaze  into  the  future,  contingen- 
cies that  may  never  occur ;  our  business  is,  to  fill  the  present 
with  active  duty,  and  trust  in  Him  whose  promise  is  absolute 
and  irreversible,  "Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee." 

Do  you  fear  disastrous  consequences  from  the  pursuit  of 
duty  ?  Man  often  knows  what  this  is.  He  feels,  "  If  I  do 
this,  which  my  conscience  tells  me  to  be  right,  then  I  shall 
incur  that  which  my  experience  proves  to  me  will  be  the  con- 
sequence. My  dear  friends,  do  not  long  balance  between 
what  is  certain  duty,  and  what  are  probably  contingent  con- 
sequences. God  prescribes  the  duty;  he  promises  his  presence 
with  them  that  do  it,  and  we  shall  find  that  the  best  expe- 
diency is  taking  him  at  his  word,  and  going  into  the  future 
trusting  in  his  presence, —  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you."  The  duty 
is  ours ;  the  issue  is  with  God.  His  Word  prescribes  the  one, 
—  his  Providence  will  take  care  of  the  other.  Man  is  too 
prone  to  leave  his  own  sphere,  which  is  present  duty,  and  to 
pry  into  God's  province  of  future  consequences ;  whereas  our 
most  happy  way  and  our  safest  way  is,  to  hear  the  word  of 
duty,  and  then  to  set  out  in  obedience  to  that,  knowing  that 
God  is  looking  after  us,  and  will  be  with  us,  and  will  make 
all  that  may  betide  us  in  the  path  of  duty  work  for  our  good 
and  to  his  glory. 

Do  you  fear  the  condemnation  and  the  curse  of  those  sins 
of  which  you  have  been  guilty  ?  There  is  not  a  conscience 
in  this  assembly  whose  accusations  do  not  outnumber  its  ex- 
cuses. There  is  not  one  in  this  assembly  who  is  not  constrained 
to  say,  "  My  heart  condemns  me ;  and  God  is  greater  than 
my  heart,  and  knoweth  all  things."  Shall  I,  therefore,  fear, 
because  memory  reminds  me  of  my  sins,  and  conscience  con- 
demns me  for  my  sins  ?  No,  you  are  not  to  fear.  Not 
because  your  sin  is  not  sin, —  not  because  sin  is  not  hateful ; 
but  because  you  rest  upon  the  great  Sin-bearer,  who  has  borne 


228  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

your  sins,  like  the  scape-goat  of  old,  away  into  the  wilderness ; 
and  now  unto  you  who  believe  in  him,  there  is  no  condemna- 
tion, because  you  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  You  are  not  to  think 
sin  less  sinful,  but  you  are  to  think  of  Christ  as  infinitely  more 
sufficient  than  ever  you  supposed  him  to  be  before,  and  to  feel 
perfect  fearlessness  of  sin's  issues,  because  the  great  Sin- 
bearer  has  been  your  Substitute,  and  Sacrifice,  and  Saviour. 

Do  you  fear  the  power,  and  the  seduction,  and  the  influence 
of  sin  in  the  world?  Many  Christians,  true  Christians, 
shrink  from  coming  to  the  Lord's  Table,  because,  they  say,  it 
is  taking  upon  themselves  obligations  to  serve,  to  honor,  and 
to  glorify  the  Saviour.  It  is  so ;  but  it  is  not  making  these 
obligations,  for  they  are  on  you  already ;  it  is  only  accepting 
and  acquiescing  in  them  as  3'ours.  If  you  refuse  to  commu- 
nicate, because  you  are  afraid  that  you  may  stumble  here,  or 
err  there,  or  in  some  other  respect  do  injury  to  that  great 
cause  which  you  have  espoused  as  the  dearest  and  the  highest, 
—  these  fears  indicate,  perhaps,  true  grace,  and  yet  they 
indicate,  at  the  same  time,  want  of  clearness  of  apprehension 
of  the  promises  of  God,  *'  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee." 
God  never  sends  a  soldier  a  warfare  at  his  own  charges. 
Wherever  he  prescribes  a  journey,  he  perfects  his  strength  in 
the  traveller  who  has  to  walk  it.  Whenever  he  sends  you 
into  battle,  he  gives  you  the  armor,  the  shield,  and  the 
promise,  to  cheer  and  to  comfort  you ;  and  he  who  has  com- 
manded you  to  serve  him,  has  said,  "  Sin  shall  not  have  do- 
minion over  you,"  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you," — "  My 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness."  It  is  yours  still  to 
face  the  duty  that  meets  you,  to  remember  the  promise  that  is 
given  you,  and  be  satisfied  that  he  who  has  been  with  you 
in  the  past,  will  not  forsake  you  nor  leave  you  in  the  future. 

Do  you  fear,  in  the  next  place,  trials  and  tribulations, 
and  conflicts  and  distresses,  as  you  pass  through  the  world  ? 
You  will  have  them ;  this  is  not  our  home,  this  is  not  our 


GENESIS   XXVI.  229 

rest.  It  is  just  as  natural  that  we  should  have  losses,  and 
griefs,  and  troubles,  as  that  we  should  have  life  itself.  He 
who  has  fewest  has  the  faintest  signatures  of  relationship  to 
God ;  and  he  who  has  most  tribulation,  if  a  believer,  has  in 
that  tribulation,  not  the  evidence  that  God  hates  him,  but  the 
bright  and  significant  tokens  that  he  is  a  child  whom  the 
Father  chasteneth.  Do  you,  therefore,  fear  and  dread 
troubles  ?  You  will  have  them,  but  in  them  you  have  the 
promise,  "  I  am  with  you," — "  When  thou  passest  through  the 
waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall 
not  overflow  thee ;  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee," 
—  "  Fear  thou  not,  for  I  am  with  thee  :  be  not  dismayed,  for 
I  am  thy  God ;  I  will  strengthen  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  help  thee ; 
yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteous- 
ness,"—  "  I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  know  not ; 
I  will  lead  them  in  paths  that  they  have  not  known ;  I  will 
make  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  things  straight." 
And,  lest  you  should  suppose  that  this  divine  and  precious 
presence  would  be  exhausted  by  the  lapse  of  years,  or  by  the 
fear  of  them  to  whom  it  is  promised,  he  says,  "  The  moun- 
tains shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed  ;  but  my  kindness 
shall  not  depart  from  thee,  neither  shall  the  covenant  of  my 
peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that  hath  mercy  on  thee." 

Do  you  fear,  in  the  next  place,  death  ?  It  is  natural  to 
shrink  from  it,  but  it  is  unchristian  to  fear  it.  The  distinc- 
tion is  palpable  and  clear.  Death  is  unnatural;  death, 
therefore,  we  recoil  from,  and  properly ;  for  it  is  as  true  an 
instinct  to  shrink  from  death,  as  it  is  an  instinct  to  desire 
life.  But  while  a  Christian  shrinks  from  death,  he  does  not 
at  the  same  time  fear  it ;  because  its  sting,  that  which  was 
its  weapon,  that  made  it  most  formidable,  is  taken  away  ;  its 
victory  is  now  apparent,  not  real ;  you  are  never  its  pris- 
oner, for  life  is  rather  the  prison,  and  death  is  the  gaoler  t^k  t 


290  SCRIPTURE  READINGS. 

opens  the  prison  door,  and  lets  the  prisoner  go  free.  But  we 
have  no  reason  to  fear  death ;  because  of  Him  who  through 
death  overcame  him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  we  may 
exclaim,  in  anticipatory  triumph,  "  0  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory  ?  0  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  " 

Do  you  ever  fear,  in  the  last  place,  to  approach  unto  God 
himself?  Christians  even  sometimes  do.  We  have  a  beset- 
ting notion  that  God  is  an  awful,  offended,  angry  being.  We 
approach  him  as  if  it  were  with  reluctance  that  he  heard 
prayer ;  as  if  it  were  only  by  constraint  that  he  admitted  us 
to  his  presence ;  and,  thus,  more  of  the  element  of  awe  than 
of  the  element  of  confidence  mingles  with  the  feelings  of  most 
Christians  as  they  approach  God  in  prayer.  But,  my  dear 
friends,  it  ought  not  to  be  so.  We  are  as  welcome  to  him 
as  a  child  to  a  parent,  as  an  infant  to  its  mother's  breast.  He 
waits  for  us,  and  we  may  be  as  certain  that,  if  we  approach 
him  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  we  are  heard  by  him,  and  sympa- 
thized with,  and  made  welcome,  as  we  are  of  any  one  fact,  or 
of  any  one  relationship,  in  the  wide  world.  Let  us  then  draw 
near  to  God,  in  all  the  exercises  of  devotion,  as  unto  a  Father 
who  pitieth  his  children,  who  knoweth  our  frame  that  we  are 
dust,  and  as  the  grass  and  the  flower  of  the  grass,  and  whose 
loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies  are  upon  all  that  believe 
in  him. 

Thus,  then,  we  have  the  promise,  "  I  am  with  thee,"  and 
the  prescription,  "  Fear  not."  What  is  true  of  every  be- 
liever is  true  of  the  whole  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
What  is  the  Church?  The  company  of  believers.  The 
promise  that  is  made  to  one,  is  a  promise,  therefore,  that  is 
made  to  all.  And  if  you  will  trace  the  history  and  the 
successive  annals  of  the  true  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  you  will  find  God's  presence  at  every  stage,  working 
unexpected  deliverances,  shielding  from  peril,  persecution, 
proscription,  and  death.     From  the  Jordan  to  the  Mississippi, 


GENESIS  XXVI.  231 

the  Missouri,  the  Tiber,  and  the  Thames,  God  has  been  with 
his  Church.  By  the  martyr's  flame  and  by  the  missionary's 
grave,  wherever  a  saint  has  suffered,  or  a  preacher  of  the 
truth  has  spoken,  there  Grod  has  been  present  to  sustain  the 
one,  and  to  sanctify  and  bless  the  utterance  of  the  other. 
The  very  existence  of  the  Church  of  Christ  is  the  result  of 
God's  pledged  presence  with  it.  If  it  had  not  been  for  his 
presence,  it  would  have  been  extinguished  long  ago.  Policy 
has  tried  to  circumvent  it ;  power  to  crush  it ;  but  neither 
has  succeeded.  A  spark  in  the  waves,  but  it  has  not  been 
quenched  —  a  flower  in  the  desert,  and  yet  it  is  not  trodden 
down  or  destroyed.  It  has  been  in  circumstances  where  no 
human  thing  could  live,  and  yet  it  has  prospered.  And  in 
every  chapter  of  its  history,  in  every  phase  of  its  varied  and 
wonderful  experience,  we  have  abundant  evidence  that  God 
has  been  with  it.  The  flame,  when  it  consumed  its  martyrs, 
consumed  not  the  principles  for  which  they  suffered ;  and  the 
very  smoke  that  rose  from  their  funeral  pyres  wafted  the 
truths  they  taught  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  Most  true  is  the  promise  claimed  as  the 
monopoly  of  the  Apostasy,  but  pledged  as  the  privilege  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it." 

Let  us  see,  my  dear  friends,  that  we  are  not  strong  in  our 
strength,  but  in  the  strength  of  God.  Let  us  not  fear  ;  not 
because  we  have  influence,  but  because  we  have  the  presence 
of  God.  Let  us  feel  how  appropriate  is  that  Psalm,  which 
the  great  reformer  sang,  "  God  is  "our  refuge  and  strength,  a 
very  present  help  in  trouble.  Therefore  will  not  we  fear, 
though  the  earth  be  removed,  and  thousrh  the  mountains  be 
carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea ;  though  the  waters  thereof 
roar  and  be  troubled,  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the 
swelling  thereof.  There  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  shall 
make  glad  the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  tabernacles 
20* 


232  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

of  the  most  High.     God  is  in  the  midst  of  her ;  she  shall 
not  be  moved;  God  shall  help  her,  and  that  right  early." 

Is  this  God  your  God  by  your  deliberate  election,  by  your 
deliberate  declaration,  when  no  ear  could  hear  but  God's, 
and  no  eye  could  see  but  God's  ?  Can  you  say,  He  is  mine, 
and  I  am  his  ?  If  you  can,  it  is  evidence  that  he  has  called, 
for  your  answer  is  but  the  response  to  his  previous  call. 
Your  following  is  the  evidence  that  he  draws  you.  Your 
choice  of  him  is  the  proof  that  he  has  chosen  you.  And 
happy  are  the  people  who  have  chosen  the  God  of  Abraham 
to  be  their  God  ;  his  presence  shall  go  with  them,  and,  j&nally, 
when  heart  and  flesh  shall  faint  and  fail,  it  will  only  be  to  be 
introduced  into  his  more  immediate  presence,  where  there  is 
fulness  of  joy,  and  where  there  are  pleasures  for  evermore. 


CHAPTEK    XXVTI. 

ISAAC'S    CHARACTER HIS   REQUEST  TO  ESAU REBEKAH'S   SINFUL  CON- 
NIVANCE  JACOB'S     HYPOCRISY     AND    DECEPTION THESE    BEACONS 

NOT       PRECEDENTS THE       BIRTH-RIGHT DECEPTION      DETECTED 

ESAu'S   SORROW' — HIS   HOPELESS    CRY ESAU'S   HOPE. 

The  chapter  I  have  read  is  one  of  the  most  pamful  passages 
found  in  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament  history.  It  is  from 
beginning  to  end  a  scene  of  duplicity,  of  falsehood,  and  of  sin. 
The  record  is  here,  but  not  the  approbation ;  man's  sin  is 
here,  not  God's  approval  of  it.  The  simple  facts  are  stated 
with  the  faithfulness  of  impartial  history ;  it  is  left  for  the 
sequel  of  that  history  to  show  the  sure  retributions  that  over- 
took those  who  were  accomplices  or  partners  in  the  sinful 
transactions  enumerated,  as  well  as  those  who  played  the  chief 
part  in  them. 

The  biography  of  Isaac  seems  to  be  that  of  a  quiet,  a  do- 
mestic, and  retiring  old  man.  All  the  excellence  that  distin- 
guished him  seems  to  have  consisted  in  his  being  warmly 
attached  to  Rebekah  his  wife,  a  lover  of  his  home  and  its 
quiet  joys,  and  in  the  devoted  attention  he  always  showed  to 
his  children;  but  he  seems  to  have  been  endowed  with  very 
little  mental  energy  or  social  influence.  In  no  transcendent 
respect  was  he  distinguished  among  the  patriarchs  of  ancient 
history.  He  was  a  link  in  that  chain  from  which  the  Mes- 
siah, the  Saviour  of  the  world,  was  to  descend,  and  apparently 
no  more. 

It  appears  here,  that  when  old  age  overtook  him,  and  "his 
eyes  were  dim,  so  that  he  could  not  see,"  he  called  his  son 
Esau,  and  said  that  he  wished  to  have  some  food  prepared  for 


284  SCRIPTUKE   READINGS. 

him  before  ho  died,  such  as  he  knew  was  agreeable  to  his 
taste,  and  so  savory,  as  it  is  called,  and,  as  is  often  the 
character  of  Indian  and  Eastern  preparations,  as  might  suit 
the  worn-out  and  jaded  palate  of  an  aged  and  a  dying 
man.  Perhaps  he  had  in  early  days  studied  his  palate  too 
intently. 

"We  are  told  that  Rebekah  heard  the  order  given  to  Esau 
by  his  blind  and  aged  father,  and  instantly  resolved  to  prac- 
tise a  deception  for  securing  the  blessing  to  Jacob,  of  which 
she  herself  was  the  first  in  subsequent  history  to  repent. 
She  told  Jacob,  whom  she  loved,  to  go  and  personate  Esau, 
whom  she  rather  disliked,  and  to  pretend  to  be  the  elder 
brother,  and,  having  ministered  to  Isaac,  thus  to  carry  ofi"  the 
blessing.  It  seems  singular  that  Isaac  should  have  most 
loved  Esau,  for  Esau  was  the  least  religious  of  the  twain  ; 
while  it  seems  natural  that  Rebekah  should  most  have  loved 
Jacob  for  his  otherwise  amiable  and  religious  characteristics 
and  features.  And  it  appears,  too,  that  Rebekah  was  quite 
aware  that  the  blessing  was  not  to  pass  by  the  elder,  Esau, 
but  was  to  light  upon  the  younger,  Jacob,  according  to  ancient 
and  inspired  prophecy;  remembering  that  this  was  God's 
end,  and  that  it  was  her  duty  by  any  means  to  try  and 
accomplish  that  end,  she  practised  a  deception,  in  order,  as 
Bhe  in  her  folly  dreamed,  to  make  true  God's  promise  —  that 
is,  help  God  to  execute  his  purposes. 

Now,  the  mistake  she  committed  was  twofold.  First,  we 
are  not  warranted  in  doing  evil  that  contingent  good  may 
come;  and,  secondly,  we  are  not  warranted  in  trying  to  help 
God  to  fulfil  prophecies  at  all.  God  gives  the  prophecy ;  ho 
takes  charge  of  it  before  it  is  fulfilled,  and  God  will  see  to  its 
fulfilment.  What  we  have  to  do  with  the  Bible  is  to  believe 
its  truths,  to  obey  its  precepts,  and  to  leave  God  when  and 
how  he  pleases  to  fulfil  his  own  sovereign  and  faithful  proph- 
ecies.    But  poor  Rebekah  thought  that  God  could  not  fulfil 


GENESIS  XXVII.  235 

his  promise  unless  she  helped  him,  and  like  a  thorough 
Jesuitess  —  for  in  -this  respect  she  was  so  —  she  thought  evil, 
however  great,  was  perfectly  lawful,  if  it  only  helped  the 
occurrence  of  good  that  was  most  desirable.  She  went  and 
told  Jacob  to  tell  a  lie,  to  be  guilty  of  the  basest  hypocrisy, 
and  to  leave  on  record  a  picture,  whose  great  lesson  is  at 
least  this,  *'  The  heart  of  man  is  deceitful  above  all  things 
and  desperately  wicked  ;  who  can  know  it  ?  "  Romanism  is 
as  old  as  the  patriarchal  days. 

The  only  difficulty,  —  and  I  confess  it  is  a  real  one,  —  is, 
how  to  reconcile  such  duplicity,  such  falsehood,  and  such 
hypocrisy,  in  a  mother  and  a  son,  with  the  unquestionable 
fact  that  they  were  the  children  of  God,  and  believers  in  the 
promises.  It  is  only  a  proof  what  an  amount  of  alloy  there 
is  mixed  with  the  purest  gold,  —  how  true  it  is  that  even  the 
best,  left  alone  for  a  moment,  will  stumble.  Let  us  watch, 
and  be  sober.  Instead  of  being  to  us  a  precedent,  however, 
that  we  ought  to  imitate,  it  is  to  us  a  warning  that  we  should 
seek  divine  strength  at  every  moment  to  be  perfect  in  weak- 
ness, as  well  as  a  beacon  to  point  out  to  us  the  shoals  on 
which  fair  ships  were  made  almost  total  wrecks. 

The  first  difficulty  seems  to  be  the  possibility  of  the  decep- 
tion occasioned  by  the  one  son  clothing  himself  in  the  skin  of 
a  young  kid,  and  so  personating  the  other.  The  first  reason 
of  the  success  of  such  a  resource  probably  was  this  :  not  only 
was  Isaac's  taste  worn  out  with  years,  but  his  sensibilities 
also.  The  fingers,  as  every  one  knows,  are  the  foci  (if  one 
may  use  the  expression)  of  the  keenest  sensation ;  but  when 
old  age  comes  on,  and  especially  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy,  which  was  Isaac's  then,  all  the  sensibilities  of  eye, 
ear,  and  fingers,  become  blunted.  There  is  not  the  same 
keen  perception  by  the  eye,  nor  by  the  taste,  nor  by  the 
fingers,  of  external  things.  And  hence  we  can  suppose  that 
Rebekah,  with  all  the  skill  and  the  tact  of  which  she  was  so 
20^ 


236  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

capable,  may  have  so  aiTanged  and  adjusted  the  dress  of 
Jacob,  that  Isaac,  blind,  and  his  senses  dull  with  years,  may 
very  easily  have  mistaken  him  for  Esau.  It  seems,  how- 
ever, that  the  old  man's  hearing  was  more  acute  than  his 
eight  and  his  feeling ;  for  when  Jacob  spoke,  he  said,  "  The 
voice  is  Jacob's  voice,  but  the  hands  are  the  hands  of 
Esau." 

Jacob  himself  concurred  with  Rebekah  in  personating 
Esau,  and  said,  what  he  knew  to  be  an  utter  falsehood,  "  I 
am  thy  son  Esau."  Isaac,  believing  him,  bade  him  come 
near,  and  so  pronounced  upon  him  the  blessing. 

And  also  it  is  said  that  Rebekah  put  upon  him  the  "goodly 
raiment "  of  her  eldest  son  Esau.  It  ought  to  be  remembered 
that  the  eldest  son,  in  patriarchal  times,  inherited  the  priestly 
office.  Recollect  the  Levitical  priesthood  was  not  yet  insti- 
tuted ;  the  head  of  the  house  was  therefore  the  priest  of  the 
family.  The  first  churches  were  in  tents,  the  first  priests  were 
the  patriarchs.  The  eldest  son  inherited  the  priestly  office, 
and  the  "  goodly  raiment  of  her  eldest  son  Esau,"  is  the  very 
same  word  in  the  Hebrew  and  the  Septuagint  Greek  as  is 
applied  to  the  robes  of  Aaron  and  the  sons  of  Levi ;  and  it 
would  therefore  seem  that  it  was  a  priestly  garment  that  was 
put  upon  Jacob,  that  thus  the  father  might  be  more  easily 
deceived. 

Next  we  hear  the  patriarch  pronounce  the  blessing  :  "  God 
give  thee  of  the  dew  of  heaven,"  —  in  an  Eastern  clime  most 
precious,  since,  from  an  early  part  of  the  spring  till  the  au- 
tumn, there  is  no  rain,  and  the  dews  water  the  ground ;  it 
was  therefore  the  symbol  of  fertility,  —  "  and  the  fatness,"  or 
productiveness,  "  of  the  earth,  and  plenty  of  corn  and  wine. 
Let  people  serve  thee,  and  nations  bow  down  to  thee.  Be 
lord  over  thy  brethren."  This  was  fulfilled  in  the  family 
of  which  he  was  a  link  ;  and  it  will  be  still  more  thoroughly 
fulfilled  when  God   shall   give  Christ  the   heathen  for  his 


GENESIS  XXVII.  237 

inlieritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  his  pos- 
session. 

We  next  read  of  Esau  coming  in,  and  his  father  discover- 
ing, amid  trembling  and  sorrow  and  dismay,  that  he  had 
pronounced  a  blessing,  which  he  could  not  reverse,  upon  the 
younger  son  Jacob,  instead  of  Esau  the  elder ;  although  it 
was  the  express  promise  of  God  that  Jacob  should  have 
the  blessing,  and  that  Esau,  who  was  the  legitimate  and 
ordinary  inheritor  of  the  blessing,  should  be  deprived  of  it. 

Yet,  in  estimating  this  transaction,  it  seems  to  us  a  very 
difficult  thing  that  God  should  give  a  promise  that  Jacob 
should  have  the  blessing,  but  should  permit  the  use  of  such 
wicked  means  for  the  fulfilment  of  that  promise ;  yet  we  must 
always  distinguish  between  what  God  does,  and  what  God 
simply  tolerates.  We  tolerate  in  this  country  the  worst 
errors  of  the  Roman  Catholic  creed ;  but  we  do  not,  or  at 
least  we  ought  not,  to  patronize,  or  encourage,  or  support 
them.  It  is  one  thing  to  tolerate  in  a  province  what  is  wrong; 
it  is  quite  a  difierent  thing  actively  to  support,  maintain  and 
promote  it.  Now,  God  tolerates  in  his  own  great  province 
much  that  is  evil ;  but  he  is  the  author  of  nothing  that  is 
sinful.  In  fulfilling  all  his  purposes,  we  sometimes  see  instru- 
ments used,  in  themselves  objectionable.  Cyrus  was  called 
the  battle-axe  of  God.  He  helped  to  achieve  the  great  pur- 
poses of  God,  and  yet  God  did  not  approve  of  Cyrus.  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte,  in  the  last  century,  was  raised  up  for  a  spe- 
cial work,  at  a  special  crisis,  to  do  God's  purposes.  He  did 
God's  work ;  but  God  did  not  approve  of  the  man,  his  motives 
or  his  acts.  Again,  as  to  the  party  who  tried,  in  1848,  to  do 
away  with  that  system  at  Rome  under  which  piety  dies  and 
all  religion  is  a  nonentity,  —  many  of  the  men  who  headed 
that  movement  were  in  themselves  and  in  their  motives  and 
their  ends  objectionable  ;  and  yet  they  were  sufiered  by  God 
to  inflict  his  righteous  judgments.     So,  at  the  Reformation, 


238  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

when  we  are  told  that  Henry  the  Eighth  was  the  author  of 
our  religion,  —  which  is  most  absurd ;  for  he  lived  a  papist, 
and  he  died  a  papist ;  he  burned  people  one  day  for  believing 
in  transubstantiation,  and  the  next  day  he  burned  them  for 
denying  it,  —  we  answer,  that  if  he  had  been  the  main  instru- 
ment of  the  Reformation,  that  would  not  prove  that  the 
Reformation  itself  was  wrong.  The  doctrines  of  Luther  are 
to  be  tried  by  the  Bible ;  and  the  life  of  Henry  the  Eighth  is 
to  be  tested  by  the  decalogue  ;  but  we  are  not  to  say  that 
truth  is  a  lie  because  a  bad  man  supports  it,  any  more  than 
that  a  falsehood  is  truth  because  a  good  man  may  be  impli- 
cated in  its  patronage.  We  are  to  test  all  things  by  "  the 
law  and  the  testimony  ; "  nothing  more  is  needed,  and  nothing 
less  will  do  ;  and  therefore  when  men  say.  It  is  inexplicable 
how  God  can  allow  such  things,  —  it  is  difficult  to  understand 
why  God  tolerates  bad  instruments  to  fulfil  his  own  great 
results,  —  we  are  thrown  back  upon  the  very  beginning,  why 
did  God  admit  sin  at  all  ?  AVho  can  explain  this  ?  Ever 
since  men  began  to  think,  they  have  puzzled  and  perplexed 
themselves  in  attempts  to  explain  it,  and  outside  the  Bible 
they  are  as  near  the  solution  of  the  mystery  as  when  they 
first  began  to  think  about  it.  The  Bible  explanation  is  plain 
and  succinct.  It  does  not  give  ultimate  reasons  ;  it  does  not 
go  into  depths  that  we  should  not  be  able  to  wade  in.  It 
simply  asserts  the  fact  that  God  made  all  things  holy,  good 
and  beautiful  ;  but  that  man  committed  sin,  and  marred 
God's  work.  Sin  is  not  a  part  of  creation,  nor  a  creature 
of  God.  It  is  no  part  of  the  world  ;  it  is  a  discord  that  has 
intruded  into  its  once  glorious  harmony ;  it  is  a  blot  that  has 
fallen  on  its  once  beautiful  fiice.  And  blessed  be  God  for  his 
reiterated  promise,  that  the  discord  shall  be  dissolved,  the  blot 
shall  be  wiped  away,  and  that  Nature,  under  her  regenesis, 
shall  be  more  beautiful  than  Nature  ever  was,  when  she  came 
first,  in  virgin  beauty,  from  the  plastic  hand  of  her  Creator. 


GENESIS   XXTII.  239 

Esau,  after  discovering  his  loss,  asked  earnestly  for  the 
blessing  already  given,  and  said,  "  Bless  me,  even  me  also, 
0,  my  father  !  "  and  implored  it  fervently  with  tears.  The 
apostle  Paul  alludes  to  this  incident  when  he  says  (Hebrews 
12  :  16),  Take  care,  "  lest  there  be  any  profane  person,  as 
Esau,  who  for  one  morsel  of  meat  sold  his  birthright.  For 
ye  know  how  that  afterward,  when  he  would  have  inherited 
the  blessing,  he  was  rejected;  for  he  found  no  place  of  re- 
pentance, though  he  sought  it  carefully  with  tears."  Several 
persons  have  written  me,  asking  me  to  explain  this  text, 
thinking  it  is  here  taught  that  a  person  might  earnestly  seek 
for  repentance,  and  yet  not  find,  or  be  refused  it.  It  says, 
"  that  afterward,  when  he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing, 
he  was  rejected ;  for  he  found  no  place  of  repentance."  What 
repentance  ?  Not  repentance  in  himself,  but  repentance  in 
his  father,  Isaac ;  that  is,  he  could  not  prevail  upon  Isaac  to 
repent,  that  is,  to  change  his  mind  —  withdraw  the  blessing 
from  Jacob,  and  give  that  blessing  to  himself.  It  is  not  that 
Esau  could  not  find  the  grace  of  repentance  for  himself,  —  for 
'it  was  then  true,  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  obtain,"  —  but  that  he 
could  not  get  his  aged  father  to  alter  his  mind,  and  give  the 
blessing  to  him,  "  though  he  sought  it  carefully  with  tears." 

We  then  read  that  the  father  gave  the  residue  of  a  bless- 
ing even  to  Esau  ;  but,  in  our  translation,  I  think  it  is  not 
correctly  rendered.  It  says,  "  And  Isaac,  his  father,  answered 
and  said  unto  him.  Behold,  thy  dwelling  shall  be  the  fatness 
of  the  earth."  Now,  that  would  be  almost  the  blessing  of 
Jacob  reduplicated  on  Esau.  It  is  singular,  however,  that 
the  preposition  "/rom  "  is,  by  some  mistake  or  misapprehen- 
sion, left  out  in  our  version  ;  the  passage  ought  to  be  rendered, 
"  Behold,  thy  dwelling  shall  be  far  from  the  fatness  of  the 
earth,  and  the  dew  of  heaven  from  above  ;  and  "  —  instead 
of  living  by  the  fatness  of  the  earth  and  the  dew  of  heaven 
—  "  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live,  and  shalt  serve  thy  brother." 


240  BCBIPTURE   READINGS. 

The  only -good  part  in  this  blessing  is  the  end,  "When  thou 
shalt  have  the  dominion,"  that  is,  when  all  things  shall  be 
righted,  "  thou  shalt  break  his  yoke  from  off  thy  neck,"  and 
the  descendants  of  Esau,  by  grace,  shall  be  raised  to  an 
equality  of  privilege  and  blessing  with  the  descendants  of 
Jacob,  and  those  that  are  his. 

We  have  next  the  account  of  Esau's  character.  Esau  ap- 
pears in  this  chapter,  as  a  worldly  man,  much  more  beautiful 
in  his  character  than  Jacob.  Esau  seems  to  have  appreci- 
ated the  blessing,  to  have  wept  sincerely  over  its  loss,  and  to 
have  acted,  up  to  a  certain  point,  with  a  tenderness  and  for- 
bearance that  make  the  natural  man  contrast  very  much  to" 
the  disadvantage  of  the  spiritual  man.  But  at  the  close  of 
the  chapter  his  true  character  comes  out ;  for  there  it  is  said 
he  resolved  to  slay  his  brother  Jacob  —  envy,  revenge,  end- 
ing ultimately  in  an  attempt  to  murder  him. 

Then  Rebekah  comes  again  before  us.  She  finds  that  the 
son  for  whom  she  had  obtained  the  blessing  is  ready  to  flee, 
and  the  son  whom  she  had  deprived  of  it  prepared  to  become 
a  fratricide,  and  her  life  becomes,  as  she  well  deserved,  a 
burden  to  herself. 

If  you  will  trace  Jacob's  history,  as  we  shall  on  successive 
Sabbath  mornings,  you  will  see  that  whilst  no  sentence  is 
pronounced  upon  him  in  the  chapter  before  us,  —  that  is, 
whilst  no  immediate  retribution  follows  the  lying  and  disin- 
gcnuousness  of  Jacob,  —  yet  we  shall  find  come  out  in  the  rest 
of  Jacob's  remarkable  biography  a  minutely  retributive  pun- 
ishment ;  you  will  hear,  in  his  sorrows  in  his  latter  days,  the 
echoes  of  his  sins  in  his  earlier  days.  When  he  was  told 
that  his  own  beloved  son  Joseph  was  murdered,  and  when 
his  coat  was  brought  to  him  stained  with  blood,  —  a  decep- 
tion practised  on  a  father  by  his  sons,  —  he  recollected,  amid 
these  retributions  into  which  God  precipitated  him,  the  sins 
of  his  youth,  and  no  doubt  bitterly  did  he  sorrow  over  them, 


GENESIS   XXVII.  241 

as  fully  as  we  know  he  obtained  forgiveness  and  absolution 
from  them. 

Let  us  remember  that  sin  committed  by  a  Christian  has  in 
this  life  frequently  its  retribution,  even  if  it  may  be  forgiven ; 
and  that  where  God  shows  us  character  in  its  worst  traits,  he 
takes  care  in  the  sequel  of  the  history  of  that  character  to 
show  that  man  never  stood  stronger  by  sin,  and  that  a  Chris- 
tian never  lost  anything  by  faithfulness  to  God  and  to  duty. 


CHAPTEH   XXVIII. 

god's    prophecy — man's    sins  —  JACOB'S    SELECTION    OF    A    WIFE  — 

JACOB'S    FLIGHT THE    DESERT HIS    DREAM THE   TRUE   BETHEL, 

OR   PILL.\B   OF  THE   TRUTH JACOB'S   VOW. 

In  the  previous  chapter  we  have  seen  faithfully  sketched 
the  painful  and  humiliating  picture  of  Jacob,  when  he  be- 
reaved, bj  stratagem  and  subtlety,  Esau  of  that  to  which  he 
was  entitled  as  the  first-born,  the  blessing  and  the  birthright. 
We  have  also  noticed  that  the  blessing  pronounced  by  blind 
and  deceived  Isaac  on  Jacob,  upon  the  supposition  that  he 
was  Esau,  whom  he  personated,  seems  to  have  been  irrever- 
sible, not  in  itself,  perhaps,  but  because  it  was  the  promise 
of  God  from  everlasting,  and  therefore  an  arrangement  that 
could  not  be  reversed. 

I  stated  then  the  difficulty  that  one  feels,  on  referring  to 
ancient  prophecies  of  things  that  will  be,  how  it  is  possible  to 
reconcile  with  justice  and  holiness,  the  equivocal,  the  objec- 
tionable, and  the  sinful  means  by  which  these  prophecies  are 
ultimately  fulfilled.  Throughout  the  word  of  God,  we  very 
often  notice  that  God  utters  a  prophecy,  and  that  it  is  ful- 
filled by  instruments  in  all  respects  objectionable  and  bad. 
No  fault  lies  at  the  door  of  God ;  he  is  not  the  author  of  evil 
—  all  the  sin  is  man's ;  the  prophecy  came  from  God,  the 
fulfilment  of  it  is  sure  to  be,  just  because  it  is  the  prophecy 
of  God ;  yet  God  does  not  approve  all  the  means  used  in 
hastening  its  fulfilment.  A  bad  man  might  say,  I  am  instru- 
mental in  fulfilling  a  prophecy  —  does  not  this  part  vindi- 
cate my  conduct  as  the  person  who  so  fulfils  it  ?     If  the  con- 


GENESIS    XXVIII.  243 

duct  be  good,  it  is  so  on  this  ground  alone;  if  the  conduct 
of  that  person  be  bad,  no  aid,  designedly  or  otherwise  given, 
makes  it  good.  For  instance ;  it  was  the  ancient  prophecy 
that  Jesus  should  be  crucified ;  but  because  Pontius  Pilate 
and  Herod  and  the  Jews  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory,  they 
could  not,  and  they  will  not,  plead  at  the  judgment-seat,  Our 
hands  are  clean,  and  our  souls  are  innocent,  because  we  did 
what  God  predicted  would  and  must  be  done.  Our  best 
reply  is  what  we  find  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  when  Peter, 
addressing  the  very  Jews  who  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory, 
says,  that  it  was  God's  fore-ordained  purpose  that  Christ 
should  die  ;  but  yet  he  adds,  what  proves  their  criminality, 
"Ye,  by  wicked  hands,  have  taken  and- crucified  him;" 
thereby  showing  that  the  sin  is  not  altered  because  that  sin 
was  predicted  and  is  overruled  to  the  fulfilment  of  a  prophecy. 
I  endeavored  to  show  an  illustration  of  this,  on  a  previous 
occasion,  when  I  stated  that  in  the  Middle  Ages  it  was  the 
habit  of  the  Romish  authorities  to  persecute  the  poor  Jews, 
to  extract  their  teeth,  and,  in  some  cases,  to  burn  them,  and 
in  various  ways  to  visit  them  with  penalties  and  judgments, 
on  the  miserable  plea  that  that  people  were  predicted  to  be  so 
treated,  and  to  be  a  scorn,  a  hissing,  and  a  by-word,  and  to 
have  no  resting-place  for  the  soles  of  their  feet.  Such  de- 
fence is  infamous.  Our  duty  is  to  believe  God's  prophecies, 
and  to  be  satisfied  that  they  will  be  fulfilled  exactly  and 
fully,  but  always  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  God,  irrespective  of  any  consideration  but 
duty.  It  is  our  duty  to  obey  plain  precepts ;  it  is  God's 
prerogative  to  see  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  own  prophecies. 
Let  us  not  confound  the  two  things ;  and  if  we  do  sin,  in 
order  professedly  to  accomplish  what  God  has  prophesied, 
our  sin  is  still  sin,  and  our  success  in  accomplishing  our 
object  is  no  mitigation  ;  it  is  sin  the  worse,  that  we  do  it  amid 
the  light  that  ought  to  teach  us  to  know  better  than  to  act  so. 
21 


244  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

We  read  that  Isaac  charged  Jacob,  on  whom  now  the  bless- 
ing had  fallen,  and  from  whom  it  could  not  now  be  taken  away 
or  alienated  by  Esau,  to  go  and  marry  a  Christian  wife  of  a 
Christian  family,  as  became  him,  just  in  the  same  way  as 
Isaac  himself  was  guided  to  marry  a  wife  of  a  Christian  fam- 
ily, according  to  the  instructions  and  the  directions  of  Abra- 
ham. This  was  necessary  and  dutiful,  and  is  still  obligatory 
on  us  in  many  respects,  some  of  which  I  showed  you  in  a 
previous  exposition. 

AVc  then  read  that  Jacob  went  forth  on  the  errand  indi- 
cated by  his  father,  as  well  as  in  obedience  to  the  advice  of 
his  mother,  and  partly  by  the  necessity  of  his  position,  —  to 
seek  a  good  wife.  He  was  persecuted  by  Esau,  and  obliged 
to  be  a  refugee  for  life.  Esau  had  resolved  to  slay  him,  and 
Jacob  was  conscious  that  he  had  bitterly  offended  against 
Esau,  and  had  acted  deceptively  and  fraudulently  ;  and  that 
Esau's  persecution  was  well  deserved  by  him,  for  he  had 
treated  him  most  cruelly  and  wickedly.  Fleeing,  therefore, 
from  Esau,  he  goes  out  to  "  a  certain  place,  and  tarries  there 
all  night."  The  sun  has  set ;  he  is  far  from  the  confines  of 
civilization,  or  a  city  and  its  hospitalities ;  he  takes  the  stones 
of  the  desert,  and  makes  a  pillow,  and  sleeps.  There,  too,  he 
dreamed,  and  that  dream  is  a  mirror  and  a  revelation  of  the 
gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  God  appeared  to  him  at 
the  top  of  the  mystic  ladder,  the  type  of  Christ's  mediation, 
renewed  the  promise  that  he  had  made  to  Abraham  and 
Isaac ;  and  so,  instead  of  visiting  him  for  his  sins,  because 
God's  ways  are  not  our  ways,  he  visited  him  by  a  promise  of 
unexpected  and  undeserved  mercy.  To  the  meaning  of  this 
vision  I  will  elsewhere  refer. 

"  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said.  Surely  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place  ;  and  I  knew  it  not."  Very  often  it  is 
so  with  us  still.  We  are  often  in  circumstances  where  God 
is,  and  our  insensible  hearts  know  it  not.     We  are  placed 


GENESIS   XXVIII.  245 

often  in  afflictions,  where  we  think  only  pain  is,  and  we  find 
out  afterwards  that  God  was.  It  needs  the  circumcised  heart 
to  feel,  and  the  anointed  eye  to  see  God,  and  to  realize  his 
presence,  and  to  feel  that  he  is  where  the  world  neither  sees, 
nor  feels,  nor  knows,  nor  seeks  him. 

He  rose  up  early,  and  took  the  stone,  we  are  told,  and  set 
it  up  for  a  pillar,  anointed  it  with  oil,  —  that  is,  set  it  apart, 
or  consecrated  it,  —  "  and  he  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Beth-el,"  which  means  literally,  "  house  of  God ; "  the  former 
name  having  been  "Luz,"  that  is,  "a  place  where  almond-trees 
grew  ; "  and  thus,  by  his  communion  with  God,  from  a  natural 
he  turns  the  place  to  a  divine  purpose  and  consecration. 

I  have  thought  there  is  here  a  useful  parallel  passage. 
Some  persons  have  tried,  I  think  with  some  force,  to  establish 
that  a  very  remarkable  passage  in  Timothy,  namely,  the  third 
chapter  of  the  first  epistle,  at  the  fifteenth  verse,  which  has 
been  very  much  misconstrued,  has  a  direct  allusion  to  this 
very  passage ;  and,  if  it  be  so,  it  would  completely  do  away 
with  an  interpretation  that  Romanists  have  put  upon  it  for 
sectarian  purposes.  Paul,  writing  to  Timothy,  in  his  First 
Epistle,  3 :  15,  says,  "  That  thou  mayest  know  how  thou 
oughtest  to  behave  thyself  in  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the 
church  of  the  living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth." 
You  are  aware  that  that  passage  has  been  pleaded  by  certain 
divines  as  a  proof  that  the  church  is  the  ground  and  pillar  of 
the  truth ;  that  is,  that  we  are  to  seek  first  the  church,  and 
the  truth  in  her  afterwards,  and  that  we  cannot  reach  trutli 
except  by  the  church,  and  that  to  find  the  right  church  is  the 
very  first  pursuit  that  we  should  go  after  ;  and  having  found 
Ptome,  we  must  take  her  teaching  as  infallible.  Now,  in  the 
first  place,  I  might  give  the  ordinary  answer,  that  this  churcli 
was  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  of  which  Timothy  was  the  minis- 
ter ;  and  because  that  individual  church  was  the  pillar  and 
gi'ound  of  the  truth,  surely  that  would  not  imply  that  it  never 


246  SCRIPTURK   READINGS. 

could  lose  the  truth.  The  Seven  Churches  of  Asia  were  seven 
"  grounds  and  pillars  "  of  the  truth,  and  yet  the  truth  left 
them,  and  they  fell,  and  are  now  desolate. 

But  I  believe  that  this  passage  in  Timothy  is  allusive  to 
Jacob's  dream,  and  the  probable  reason  of  it  would  be  the 
identity  of  language  :  "  The  house  of  God,  which  is  the 
church  of  the  living  God,"  —  that  is,  in  Hebrew,  Beth-el,  the 
pillar  and  ground  of  the  "trath,"  —  "he  set  up  a  pillar,  and 
anointed  it ;"  and  the  words  of  Paiil  paraphrased  would  run 
thus  :  "If  I  tai*ry  long,  that  thou  may  est  know  how  thou 
oughtest  to  behave  thyself  in  the  true  Beth-el,  which  is  the 
true  pillar,  in  opposition  to  the  mere  shadowy  and  ceremonfal 
one  which  Jacob  set  up,  of  the  tmth."  You  will  say,  how- 
ever, that  truth  cannot  in  every  passage  be  thus  construed  as 
contrast  to  shadow.  I  answer,  we  have  an  illustration  and 
instance  of  this  use  in  the  gospel  of  John  :  "  The  law  came 
by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  by  Jesus  Christ."  Now,  truth 
came  by  Moses  as  well  as  by  Christ ;  but  the  meaning  is, 
that  the  shadow  and  ceremony  of  it  came  by  Moses,  while 
truth,  the  substance  of  it,  came  by  Christ.  So  the  allusion 
would  be,  "  That  thou  mayest  know  how  thou  oughtest  to 
behave  thyself  in  the  true  Beth-el,  in  opposition  to  the  mere 
ceremonial  or  dreamy  one  which  Jacob  saw  ;  which  Beth-el, 
the  Christian  church,  is  the  true  pillar,  or  the  reality  and 
antitype  of  that  which  Jacob  raised  in  the  desert."  This  is 
not  a  common  interpretation, but  it  seems  a  probable  one;  and 
if  it  be  a  true  one,  it  would  do  away  with  the  difficulty  that 
some  have  raised  on  the  passage  from  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to 
Timothy,  —  not  that  there  is  any  real  difficulty,  still  less 
Romanism,  in  the  passage,  even  if  this  view  be  not  accepted. 

At  the  close  of  the  chapter,  at  the  twentieth  verse,  the  idea 
unfortunately  seems  conveyed  that  Jacob  made  a  sort  of  mer- 
cenary bargain  with  God  :  "If  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will 
keep  me  in  this  way  that  I  go,  and  will  give  me  bread  to  eat, 


GENESIS  XXVIII.  247 

and  raiment  to  put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's 
house  in  peace  ;  then  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God."  But  that 
is  not  the  exact  rendering,  as  it  does  not  convey  the  idea  of 
the  original.  The  meaning  of  it  is,  ''If  it  be  true,  as  God 
has  promised,"  —  not  doubting  it,  but  accepting  it,  — "?/ 
God  will  thus  keep  me,  give  me  bread  to  eat,  and  raiment  to 
put  on,  so  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's  house  in  peace  ; 
if  the  Lord  thus  be  my  God,"  —  that  is  to  say,  if  he  be  such 
a  God  as  this,  —  "  then  the  least  return  that  I  can  make  for 
all  this,  is  to  accept  him  as  my  God."  Li  other  words,  he 
accepts  God  as  a  promise-making  God  first,  and  then,  on  the 
ground  and  footing  of  that,  he  pledges  himself  to  be  his  child, 
his  follower,  and  a  believer.  "  And  this  stone,  which  I  have 
set  up  for  a  pillar,  shall  be  [Beth-el]  God's  house  :  and  of  all 
that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely  devote  the  tenth  to  the 
acknowledgment  of  thy  sovereignty,  and  of  my  allegiance  to 
thee."  His  vow  was  the  expression  of  feelings  created  by  the 
previous  goodness  of  God. 
21^ 


CHAPTER    XXIX 


PATRIARCHAL   SIXS JACOB'S    JOUBXEY AXCIEXT  WELLS  —  RACHEL   A 

SHEPHERDESS A    MOTHER JACOB'S     INTERVIEW  WITH    RACHEL 

LE^UI   IXSTE^U)   OF   RACHEL POLYGAMY. 


It  is  most  important  jou  should  bear  in  mind,  as  we  pro- 
ceed in  the  course  of  our  perusal  of  these  successive  lessons 
from  the  word  of  God,  that  they  do  not  always  consist  of 
examples  for  us  to  imitate,  but  of  fiicts  occurring  in  the  actual 
history  and  development  of  human  nature,  teaching  us,  first, 
what  nature  is,  left  to  itself;  and,  secondly,  how  sovereign, 
how  unmerited,  how  persistent,  is  the  forbearance  and  the 
mercy  of  God. 

One  is  pained  to  read  so  many  instances  of  sinful  acts  and 
relations  occurring  in  the  course  of  this  book ;  but,  if  no  such 
instances  had  been  recorded  in  it,  in  the  case  of  its  subjects, 
it  would  not  have  been  a  true  and  full  portrait  of  humanity, 
but  a  flattering  and  beautiful  sketch,  not  just  and  exact  to  the 
original.  You  must  not,  therefore,  suppose  that  because  sins 
are  recorded  occasionally  as  facts,  but  without  ccnsm-e,  the 
sinners  guilty  of  them  are  therefore  set  before  us  as  models 
for  us  to  admire  or  imitate.  The  history  is  written  impar- 
tially, as  history  should  be  written,  and  some  of  those  that 
we  read  of  in  it  are  beacons,  whose  whole  circumstances  we 
are  to  avoid ;  some  are  signs  and  models,  whom  we  are  to 
imitate,  and  to  whom  we  are  to  approach. 

l!i  this  chapter  the  depravity,  which  I  alluded  to  before, 
in  Laban,  comes  out  only  more  fully,  whilst  Jacob,  who  sinned 


GENESIS   XXIX.  249 

bj  supplanting  his  brother,  is  seen  to  meet  with  retributive 
judgment,  in  Leah  being  given  to  him  by  Laban  instead  of 
Kachel.  The  deceiver  is  deceived ;  the  biter  is  bit ;  he  is 
caught  in  the  snare  that  he  prepared  for  others. 

We  shall,  therefore,  see,  in  the  course  of  this  history,  that 
whilst  sin  may  be  forgiven,  and  is  forgiven,  in  the  sinner,  yet 
the  bitter,  not  penal,  but,  it  may  be,  chastening  and  paternal 
consequences  of  it,  are  reaped  and  encountered  even  in  this 
world. 

In  the  first  verse  we  read  that  "  Jacob  went  on  his  jour- 
ney." It  is,  literally  translated,  "  lifted  up  his  feet  from  the 
road,"  an  expression  which  denotes  the  joy  with  which  he  set 
out.  Recollect  that  he  had  just  escaped  from  the  persecution 
of  Esau ;  he  had  just  seen  a  beautiful  apocalypse  of  God  at 
Beth-el ;  and,  refreshed  by  the  scene  that  he  had  witnessed, 
and  the  divine  pledges  that  he  had  heard,  he  lifts  an  elastic 
foot,  having  a  happy  heart  within,  the  source  of  a  light  foot 
without,  and  journeys  toward  "  the  people  of  the  east." 

We  read  that  there  was  a  well,  and  "  a  stone  was  upon 
the  well's  mouth."  In  Eastern  lands  a  well  is  a  most  precious 
possession ;  and  in  order  to  guard  it  from  the  sands  of  the 
road,  and  from  decaying  vegetation  being  whirled  into  it  by 
the  wind,  heavy  stones  are  placed  upon  the  mouth  of  each 
well,  to  be  partly  a  protection,  and  partly  to  keep  the  water 
cool,  and  partly  to  show  the  wayfaring  man  where  the  well  is 
situated. 

In  the  third  verse  it  is  said,  "  They  rolled  the  stone  from 
the  well's  mouth,  and  watered  the  sheep."  Now,  this  seems 
inconsistent  with  the  tenth  verse,  "Jacob  went  near,  and 
rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth."  And  in  the  eighth 
verse,  "They  said,  We  cannot,  until  all  the  flocks  be  gathered 
together,  and  till  they  roll  the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth." 
Does  it  not  seem,  then,  that  in  the  third  verse  the  fact  is 
recorded  to  have  been  done,  and  that  in  the  eighth  verse  it  is 


250  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

stated  that  it  had  not  been  done  ?  The  answer  to  this  is, 
that  in  the  third  verse  the  ordinary  usage  is  specified,  and  in 
the  eighth  verse  the  fact  of  the  usage  being  practised  on  this 
occasion  is  recorded.  The  usage  is,  "  Tliither  were  all  the 
flocks  gathered ;  and  they  rolled  the  stone  from  the  well's 
mouth,"  —  that  was  the  way  to  get  at  the  water,  —  "  and 
watered  the  sheep,  and  put  the  stone  again  upon  the  well's 
mouth  in  his  place."  That  is  a  description  of  the  usage. 
Then  the  subsequent  statement  is  an  assertion  of  the  fact 
that  they  did  so  on  this  occasion. 

"We  then  read  that  Jacob  said  to  the  shepherds,  "  My 
brethren,  whence  be  ye  ?  And  they  said,  Of  Haran  are  we. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Know  ye  Laban,  the  son  of  Nahor  ? 
And  they  said,  Wc  know  him.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Is 
he  well  ?  "  —  or,  literally  translated,  "  Has  he  peace  ?  " 
And  hence,  the  salaam  of  the  Indian  is  well  known ;  and 
that  Arabic  or  Ilindostance  word  is  a  surviving  echo  of  the 
Hebrew  shalom,  which  means  "  peace."  And  hence,  "  Into 
whatsoever  house  ye  enter,  first  say.  Peace  be  to  this  house," 
—  make  your  salaam  upon  it,  or  let  it  have  peace. 

They  then  told  Jacob,  "  Behold,  Rachel  his  daughter 
cometh  with  the  sheep."  Now,  it  seems  to  us  strange  that 
Rachel,  who  was  the  daughter,  I  may  almost  say,  of  a 
prince,  should  be  a  shepherdess ;  but  not  more  strange  than 
that  Rebekah,  who  was  a  daughter  of  a  king  or  sheik,  should 
carry  water  from  the  well.  These  were  usages  that  were 
thought  perfectly  compatible  with  dignity  of  position  ;  and 
thus  some  things  which  seem  outre  and  strange  to  us,  were  not 
only  perfectly  understood  and  appreciated  in  ancient  and  East- 
ern countries,  but  subject  to  no  misconstruction. 

We  read,  then,  that  "while  he  yet  spake  with  them,  Rachel 
came  with  her  lather's  sheep  ;  for  she  kept  them."  In  the 
tenth  verse,  there  is  something  very  beautiful ;  it  seems  allu- 
sive.    You  will  notice  how  often  Jacob  alludes  in  it  to  his 


GENESIS   XXIX.  251 

mother.  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jacob  saw  Rachel  the 
daughter  of  Laban  his  mother^s  brother,  and  the  sheep  of 
Laban  his  mother's  brother,  that  Jacob  went  near,  and  rolled 
the  stone  from  the  well's  mouth,  and  watered  the  flock  of 
Laban  his  7nother^s  brother."  He  recollected  that  Rebekah 
his  mother  went  through  on  her  journey  to  meet  Isaac  before. 
He  recollected  that  he  was  the  favorite  of  his  mother  ;  that 
she  loved  him,  while  his  father  preferred  and  loved  Esau. 
And  whilst  the  beautiful  and  tender  recollections  of  home, 
and  of  her  who  was  the  pillar,  the  ornament,  and  the  glory 
of  home,  rushed  into  the  wandering  patriarch's  heart,  he  asso- 
ciated all  he  saw  with  a  "  mother,"  as  the  uppermost  thought, 
feeling,  and  affection,  in  his  long  sorrowing  and  depressed 
heart. 

After  this  we  see  something  very  touching  in  Jacob.  In 
the  overflowing  exuberance  of  the  moment,  a  thousand  recol- 
lections and  associations,  thrilling,  as  it  were,  and  making 
his  heart-strings  vibrate,  the  patriarch,  in  the  expression  of 
the  most  pure  and  beautiful  humanity,  which  shows  that 
under  all  Jacob's  sins  there  was  a  real,  feeling,  human  heart, 
'«  kissed  Rachel,  and  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  wept."  I  know 
not  a  more  eloquent  and  beautiful  text  in  the  whole  Old 
Testament  history. 

Then  "  Jacob,"  it  is  said,  "  told  Rachel  that  he  was  her 
father's  brother."  I  may  mention  that  those  words  father 
and  brother  are  very  often  used  in  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures simply  in  the  sense  of  kinsmen.  Jacob  said  that  he 
was  her  father's  kinsman,  "and  that  he  was  Rebekah's  son," 
and,  therefore,  her  cousin ;  "  and  she  ran  and  told  her 
father." 

"  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Laban  heard  the  tidings  of 
Jacob  his  sister's  son,  that  he  ran  to  meet  him,  and  embraced 
him,  and  kissed  him,  and  brought  him  to  his  house.  And  he 
told  Laban  all  these  things.     And  Laban  said  to  him.  Surely 


i>52  SCRIPTUKE   HEADINGS. 

thou  art  my  bone  and  my  flesh.  And  he  abode  with  him  the 
space  of  a  month.  And  Laban  said  unto  Jacob,  Because 
thou  art  my  brother,  shouldst  thou  therefore  serve  me  for 
naught  ?  "  This  seems  a  fragment  of  a  dialogue.  I  suspect 
that  Jacob  had  heard  from  home  that  he  must  not  venture  to 
come  back  ;  that  Esau's  hand  was  still  lifted  up  against  him, 
and  that  he  must  try  to  live,  if  he  could  earn  anything,  with 
Laban  in  the  country  of  his  mother's  relatives  and  friends  ; 
and,  therefore,  we  read  that  Laban  spoke  of  his  serving  him; 
and,  with  his  characteristic  reference  to  price,  he  told  him 
that  he  must  serve  him ;  but,  though  he  was  his  kinsman,  he 
should  not  serve  him  for  naught,  and,  therefore,  he  should 
have  wages. 

"And  Laban,"  it  is  said,  "had  two  daughters,"  Leah  and 
Rachel ;  the  one  being  the  less  beautiful,  the  other  being 
"  beautiful  and  well-shaped,"  as  it  might  be  rendered.  "  And 
Jacob  loved  Rachel,  and  said,  I  will  serve  thee  seven  years 
for  Rachel,  thy  younger  daughter."  Now,  still  in  Eastern 
countries  it  is  the  general  custom,  and  in  ancient  times  it 
was  the  universal  custom,  for  the  husband  to  give  the  dowry 
to  the  wife.  Hence,  when  a  man  had  many  daughters,  he 
was  accounted  very  rich;  for  every  man  who  married  a 
daughter  gave  a  large  dowry  in  exchange  for  the  daughter. 
Jacob  had  no  estates,  but  he  had  that  which  is  the  poor  man's 
capital  —  his  thews,  his  sinews,  his  health  and  strength ;  and 
he  said,  "  I  will  give  you  what  is  all  my  stock  in  hand ;  that 
is,  my  strength,  my  energy,  my  service.  I  will  give  you  seven 
years'  labor,"  which  would  amount  to  a  very  considerable 
sum  in  wages.  He  did  so ;  and  then  we  read  how  Laban, 
with  a  deceit  that  was  scandalous,  and  a  wickedness  that 
indicated  the  depravity  of  his  heart,  gave  him  Leah  instead 
of  Jtachcl.  And  this  is  easily  explained  by  the  fact,  that  in 
ancient  times,  and  according  to  Eastern  habits,  at  the  close 
of  the  wedding-day  the  bride  was  conducted  to  the  husband 


GENESIS    XXIX.  253 

veiled ;  and,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  as  we  are  told,  he 
could  not  see  whether  it  was  Leah  or  Rachel. 

When  he  discovered  the  deception,  as  he  soon  did,  thus 
practised  upon  him,  he  remonstrated  with  Laban,  and  Laban 
said  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country  to  marry  the  first- 
born before  the  younger.  He  should  have  told  him  that 
before  ;  —  but  he  did  not  do  so.  "  It  must  not  be  so  done  in 
our  country,  to  give  the  younger  before  the  firstborn."  And, 
on  reading  some  Indian  sketches,  I  find  that  this  is  very  much 
the  custom  still  —  that  scarcely  will  a  father  give  his  second 
daughter  in  marriage  till  the  eldest  daughter  has  been  pre- 
viously married. 

Jacob's  love,  however,  was  too  real  to  be  easily  put  ofij  and  he 
served  other  seven  years  to  get  Rachel  for  his  wife.  Always 
recollect  that  there  were  secondary  wives  tolerated  by  God, 
—  as  he  himself  has  said  of  divorce,  —  for  the  hardness  of 
their  hearts.  Polygamy  was  then  existent,  and  in  this  case 
there  was  something  like  bigamy.  It  was  tolerated  ;  but, 
whilst  the  fact  is  stated,  its  baneful  results  to  mankind  and  to 
the  honor  of  God  are  recounted  also.  Its  sinfulness  is  devel- 
oped in  history,  in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  declared  in  the 
New  in  words.  Because  it  was  suffered,  it  was  not  therefore 
applauded.  God  suffers  in  this  world  what  he  does  not  ap- 
prove of.  War,  sickness,  famine,  sin,  murder,  —  all  these 
things  are,  and  yet  God  reigns.  The  reason  is,  this  is  not 
the  promised  rest,  this  is  not  the  millennial  state  that  is  to 
be ;  —  this  is  the  era  of  warfare  and  probation ;  and  these 
things  are  suffered  under  the  providence  of  God,  whilst  they 
are  condemned  in  themselves  by  the  Law,  and  in  the  Word 
of  God. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

PORTRAITS     OF    HUMANITY VARIOUS    USES     OF    TIIE    BIBLE — JACOB'S 

DECEPTION. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  picture  of  much  of  patriarchal 
life  is  a  very  humbling  one.  One  is  constrained  to  admit 
that  the  morality  of  some  of  these  patriarchs,  in  many  in- 
stances, was  of  the  lowest  possible  character,  whether  from 
ignorance  or  otherwise.  One  can  only  account  for  the  record 
of  what  they  were,  being  thus  minutely  given,  and  what  they 
did,  being  thus  specifically  written,  upon  that  ground  which  I 
have  so  often  endeavored  to  explain  —  that  God  presents  in 
his  Word,  in  giving  the  history  of  men,  not  Vi  profile  view  of 
humanity,  —  that  is,  the  best  side  of  the  face,  —  but  a  full 
portrait  of  humanity,  just  as  sin  has  left  it,  and  Satan  fre- 
quently inspired  it ;  and,  alas !  how  much  evil  yet  remains, 
even  in  good  men.  At  the  same  time,  you  will  recollect  that 
the  history  of  the  sins  of  these  men  does  not  imply  that  God 
applauded  their  conduct,  or  presents  these  sins  for  our  imita- 
tion, or  does  anything  else  than  what  a  faithful  historian 
does  —  tell  truths,  and  what  a  true  witness  is  bound  to  do  — 
assert  facts  just  as  those  flicts  were  and  are.  If  we  wish  to 
know  what  God's  estimate  of  conduct  is,  we  must  read  his 
holy  law.  If  wc  wish  to  sec  what  man  is,  when  left  to  him- 
self even  for  a  little,  read  some  of  the  miniatures  and  por- 
traits that  are  contained  in  the  lives  of  the  patriarchs.  And 
I  must  say,  one  is  sometimes  puzzled  and  perplexed,  when 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  are  set  before  us  as  the 


GENESIS    XXX.  256 

fathers  of  the  faithful,  and  as  saints,  as  one  discovers  so  much 
alloy  and  guilt,  so  much  sin  mingling  with  their  purity,  and 
so  much  and  so  painful  acts  of  immorality  in  many  of  the 
sketches  that  are  given  of  those  who  derived  all  their  taint 
from  Adam,  and  all  the  excellence  that  neutralized  and  over- 
came it  through  Christ  the  Saviour,  in  whom,  in  spite  of  all, 
they  yet  believed,  and  to  whom  they  strove  to  be  conformed 
day  by  day,  amid  difficulties  and  trials  we  have  not. 

Let  us  recollect  this,  also,  that  those  histories  which  to  us 
sound  least  delicate  have  their  own  distinct  and  important 
uses.  Every  part  of  the  Bible  is  not  equally  edifying  to 
every  person,  nor  is  every  portion  of  the  Bible  equally  suitable 
even  for  being  publicly  read,  —  not  from  being  bad,  or  sug- 
gestive of  what  is  bad,  but  from  altered  phrases  and  usages, 
and  from  the  mixed  ages  and  relations  of  a  public  assembly. 
It  docs  not  imply  that  because  we  accept  a  whole  Bible,  in 
all  its  integrity  and  inspiration,  that  every  part  is  fitted  for 
every  scene,  and  for  all  places,  and  for  every  person.  Parts 
of  the  Bible  that  are  least  useful  to  the  individual  are  most 
important  as  links  in  history,  as  illustrations  of  otherwise 
hidden,  obscure,  and  unknown  circumstances  —  as  evidences 
of  what  man's  heart  is,  and  what  man's  nature  was  ;  and  por- 
tions which  are  instructive  to  the  aged  are  not  suited  to  the 
young ;  parts  for  men  are  not  equally  for  women  ;  and  others 
that  are  suited  for  the  young  are  not  equally  instructive  to 
the  aged.  Portions  that  are  fit  for  private  reading  are  not 
so  fit  for  public  reading.  At  the  same  time,  God's  solemn 
records  of  human  sins  read  before  all,  are  very  different  from 
private  confessional  conferences.  God's  holy  word  is  just 
like  a  collection  of  medicines  of  various  kinds ;  one  medicine 
is  for  one  purpose,  another  for  another.  It  does  not  imply, 
that  because  one  part  may  not  be  instructive  and  personally 
useful  for  me  and  you  to-day,  that  it  had  no  profit  for  instruc- 
tion in  other  circumstances,  or  that  it  will  have  no  efficacy 
22 


256  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

and  value  in  reference  to  other  circumstances,  or  yet  future 
contingencies  and  changes. 

One  lesson,  certainly,  we  learn  from  the  whole  of  the  lives 
of  these  patriarchs,  and  that  is,  the  sad  and  melancholy  re- 
sults of  what  was  suffered  in  that  age ;  namely,  polygamy. 
In  every  instance,  —  and  it  is  worthy  of  the  notice  of  those 
who  find  fault  with  the  Bible  because  it  records  the  polygamy 
of  the  patriarchs  —  as  if  history  were  sinful  because  faithful, 
—  in  every  instance  where  that  polygamy  is  shown  to  have 
existed,  the  issues  and  effects  of  it  are  recorded,  also,  as  most 
calamitous  and  sad.  Here  you  have  Rachel  and  Leah  lead- 
ing a  life  of  misery  and  envy,  wretchedness  and  bondage  f 
and  in  every  instance  in  which  you  find  more  wives  than  one, 
you  find  that  the  issue  was  just  what  might  be  expected,  and 
what  God  has  unequivocally  declared  —  misery  to  the  sub- 
jects of  it,  mischief  to  society,  and  the  source  of  innumerable 
sins  in  the  sight  of  God. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  history  of  humanity  in  the 
Bible  is  the  history  of  a  progression ;  not  the  progression  of 
humanity  left  to  itself,  as  if  it  could  achieve  its  own  perfec- 
tion, but  the  history  of  a  progression  in  humanity  as  influ- 
enced by  the  lights,  and  motives,  and  effects,  of  the  Gospel, 
till  we  come  to  those  perfect  and  beautiful  types  of  it  pre- 
sented by  the  Apostles,  the  Evangelists,  the  Saints,  and  the 
Martyrs,  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures. 

We  must  always  recollect,  too,  in  reading  these  patriarchal 
facts,  that  every  mother  in  Israel  longed  to  be  the  mother  of 
a  son,  because  inspired  by  the  constant  hope  of  Him  who  was 
the  burden  of  every  prophecy,  and  destined  to  be  "  the  Light 
to  lighten  the  Gentiles,"  and  to  be  "  the  glory  of  his  people 
Israel."  Hence,  for  a  wife  to  have  no  children  in  ancient 
Israel  was  a  reproach  ;  even  for  one  to  be  the  mother  only 
of  daughters,  was  reckoned  then  —  however  profitable  a 
daughter  was  when  the  husband  gave,  as  usual,  a  dowry  for 


GENESIS  XXX.  257 

her — a  reproach.  And  hence,  to  be  the  mother  of  a  son, 
and,  as  it  is  stated  in  the  twentieth  verse,  to  be  the  mother 
of  six  sons,  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  highest  blessings  and 
distinguishing  honors  that  could  be  possibly  conferred  upon 
a  mother. 

We  see  here  Jacob's  management  in  reference  to  the 
cattle.  Laban  was  an  avaricious,  miserable,  and,  if  one 
might  use  the  expression,  selfish  wretch.  His  whole  conduct 
was  that  of  a  low,  mean,  grasping  miser,  anxious  to  make  the 
most  of  everything  that  came  within  his  reach,  and  ready  to 
coin  even  his  daughters,  or  the  highest  morality,  into  gold. 
He  made  a  bargain  with  Jacob,  and  Jacob,  evidently  joining 
with  him  in  this  respect,  made  a  cleverer  bargain  with  him. 
That  bargain,  if  Jacob  did  not  know  that  the  plan  he  adopted 
would  be  the  means,  when  it  was  presented  to  the  cattle,  of 
impressing,  through  the  senses  of  the  females  when  with 
young,  upon  all  the  young  cattle  the  likeness  that  he  wished, 
—  if  he  did  not  know  it,  then  his  bargain  was  not  so  crimi- 
nal ;  but  if  he  knew  that  that  impression  could  be  created  on 
the  mothers  which  would  make  the  young  they  should  bring 
forth  what  would  mark  them  his,  he  was  guilty  of  the  greatest 
cheatery,  dishonesty,  and  sin.  And,  even  if  he  did  not  know 
that,  yet  the  last  part  of  the  plan  is  indefensible.  "  He  put 
not  in  the  feebler,  so  that  the  stronger  were  Jacob's,  and  the 
feebler  were  Laban's."  This  was  cheating,  dishonesty,  and 
deception,  in  patriarch  or  heathen.  But,  then,  when  you  see 
these  things  occur  in  these  men,  do  not  such  things  occur 
still  ?  Have  you  never  met  with  anything  of  the  kind  on 
the  Royal  Exchange,  in  the  counting-hqj,ise,  before  the  coun- 
ter, in  business  and  trade  1  Not  that  the  occurrence  of  it 
justifies  it.  But  it  shows  man  is  what  man  was.  Dishonesty 
is  dishonesty,  if  all  the  kings  of  the  earth  should  uphold  it 
and  practise  it.  Dishonesty  is  dishonesty,  if  all  the  prophets 
and  patriarchs  of  the  Old  Testament  were  to  be  guilty  of  it. 


258  SCRIPTL'UE    READINGS. 

And  we  are  not  to  palliate  dishonesty  and  crime  because  it  is 
predicated  of  an  ancient  patriarch. 

We  have  in  this  chapter  another  picture  added  to  the  gal- 
lery of  pictures  of  what  men  are.  These  pictures  of  what 
human  nature  is  will  draw  to  a  close,  and  be  succeeded  by 
proofs  of  what  the  Lord  is.  I  suspect  we  know  not  all  the 
depths  of  the  human  heart ;  and  the  mere  glimpse  that  we 
get  occasionally  is  but  the  lifting  of  a  little  of  the  veil,  that 
we  may  see  what  is  still  behind ;  and  we  ought,  therefore, 
only  the  more  earnestly  to  pray  that  God  would  be  pleased 
to  give  to  each  a  new  heart,  and  to  hasten  that  blessed  epoch 
when  there  shall  be  sunshine  without  one  cloud,  purity  without 
alloy,  piety  without  hypocrisy ;  and  all  things  restored,  not 
only  to  their  pristine  physical,  but  to  their  first  moral  and 
spiritual,  harmony  with  God  and  with  his  will. 


CIIAPTER    XXXI. 

LABAN'S   CHAKACTER  —  HIS   SONS  —  CHANGE  IN   LABAN   TOWARD   JACOB 
JACOB'S   RETUBN JACOB'S   EXPLANATION  TO  HIS   WIVES. 

The  character  of  Laban  still  continues  to  show  itself  of 
the  same  avaricious  and  grasping  stamp  that  we  found  it  to 
be  at  the  beginning  of  his  history.  Age  does  not  appear  to 
have  mitigated  his  worst  characteristics.  The  sons  of  Laban, 
who  seem  to  have  inherited  the  temper  and  the  spirit  of  their 
father  —  the  same  love  of  money,  and  the  same  regret  at  any 
profit  escaping  themselves  —  were  among  the  first,  knowing 
what  an  avaricious  heart  they  had  in  their  father's  bosom  to 
appeal  to,  to  make  the  remark,  "  Jacob  hath  taken  away  all 
that  was  our  father's ;  and  of  that  which  was  our  father's 
hath  he  gotten  all  this  glory."  The  word  glory  is  the  trans- 
lation from  the  Hebrew  of  the  word  Kabod,  and  means 
properly,  weight,  mass,  or  substance.  Men  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  feeling  in  all  ages  that  money  alone  has  weight  and 
worth,  and  is  enduring  substance ;  and  so  what  man  thinks 
has  the  most  weight  and  worth  upon  earth,  though  he  so 
thinks  erroneously,  is  transferred  to  express  that  which  is 
truly  worthy  of  the  name  —  glory  everlasting.  Jacob  soon 
noticed  in  Laban's  countenance  the  effect  of  the  suspicions  and 
evil  sentiments  conveyed  into  his  heart  by  his  sons.  He 
noticed  that  Laban's  countenance  had  not  that  bland  and 
friendly  tone  that  it  had  before,  or  "  was  not  toward  him  as 
before."  In  other  words,  he  suspected  that  he  was  about  to 
try  to  find  out  the  occasion  of  a  quarrel,  or  a  pretext  for  one. 
22=^ 


260  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

It  would  be  a  very  interesting  analysis  to  trace  out  in  this 
world's  history  how  many  quarrels  have  been  kindled  by  reason 
of  artificial  causes  being  found  out,  or  struck  out,  and  so  the 
quarrel  courted  and  provoked  for  the  quarrel's  sake.  It  ap- 
pears that  Laban  tried  to  seek  out  the  occasion  of  a  quarrel, 
in  order  that  in  the  excitement  he  might  take  back  as  much 
of  the  property  as  he  could  that  Jacob  had,  honestly  or  dis- 
honestly, earned.  God  put  an  end  to  the  quarrel  by  directing 
Jacob  to  leave  that  place,  and  to  return  to  the  homestead  of 
his  fiithers,  and  to  his  kindred  and  his  people,  Jacob  im- 
mediately "  called  Eachel  and  Leah  to  the  field,"  to  make 
this  communication.  This  one  text  reveals  the  fact  that  he 
treated  Laban  no  longer  as  a  friend,  but  as  a  foe,  for  he  did 
not  dare  to  return  as  usual,  and  meet  Rachel  and  Leah  at 
their  father's  home.  He  sent  a  messenger,  instead,  to  request 
them  to  come  out  into  the  field,  to  tell  them  there  the  new 
crisis  that  had  occurred,  from  divine  intimation,  in  his  his- 
tory, and  the  necessity  of  escape  from  their  father,  Laban. 
He  narrated  the  whole  facts  of  the  case,  as  appears  from  the 
fifth  and  sixth  verses,  that  the  daughters  might  see  it  was  not 
his  fault ;  and  he  told  them  with  honest  truth,  "  Ye  know 
that  with  all  my  power  I  have  served  your  father;  " — and 
he  might  have  added,  "  And  this  is  all  the  thanks  I  get  for 
it."  "  Your  father  hath  deceived  me,  and  changed  my  wages 
ten  times  ;  " —  ten  times,  as  used  here  and  in  similar  cases, 
denote  simply  a  multitude  of  times ;  — "  but  God  suffered  him 
not  to  hurt  me."  He  then  alludes  to  the  bargain  that  he 
struck  with  Laban  in  the  previous  chapter  —  a  bargain 
not  constructed  with  all  the  liberality  which  Jacob  ought  to 
have  displayed,  but  the  results  of  which  Laban  was  perfectly 
willing  to  acquiesce  in,  whatever  those  results  might  be. 

We  read  next  of  God's  appearance  to  him,  and  of  God's 
promising  to  be  with  him.  And  Rachel  and  Leah  then  said, 
*•  Is  there  yet  any  portion  or  inheritance  for  us  in  our  father's 


GENESIS   XXXI.  261 

house  ? "  Though  they  were  daughters,  yet  the  affection  of 
a  daughter  could  not  conceal  from  their  eyes  the  duplicity, 
and  even  the  dishonesty,  of  a  father ;  and  therefore  they  say, 
not,  however,  to  the  world,  but  to  their  husband, —  and  it  is 
one  thing  for  a  child  to  blazon  a  father's  sins  before  the  world, 
and  another  to  admit  them  to  her  own  husband  on  the  proper 
occasion,  and  on  clear  and  necessary  grounds, —  and  there- 
fore Rachel  said,  "Are  we  not  counted  of  him  strangers? 
for  he  hath  sold  us,  and  hath  quite  devoured  also  our  money." 
You  remember  that  when  a  young  man  married  a  young 
woman,  in  Eastern  lands,  he  gave  the  father  a  sum  for  the 
daughter.  Jacob  gave  Laban  a  sum  for  Rachel ;  but  Laban 
not  only  took  that,  but  made  Jacob  pay  more,  by  exacting 
labor  and  sacrifice  from  him.  So  that  what  they  said  might 
be  rendered,  "  Our  father  has  made  a  complete  job  of  us  ;  he 
has  made  so  much  per  cent,  by  us ;  he  has  virtually  sold  us 
in  the  market ;  he  has  coined  us  into  currency ;  —  we  say  it 
in  pain  and  in  sorrow,  but  to  you,  Jacob,  we  are  obliged  to 
confess  it."  "  For  all  the  riches  which  God  hath  taken  from 
our  father,  that  is  ours,  and  our  children's ;  "  but  plainly  he 
wants  to  get  it  back  again,  and  leave  us  penniless.  Our  best 
way  —  our  only  way  —  is  to  leave  him  as  fast  as  we  can. 
The  result  of  this  domestic  or  family  discussion  was,  that 
"  Jacob  rose  up,  and  set  his  sons  and  his  wives  upon  camels : 
and  he  carried  away  all  his  cattle,  and  all  his  goods." 

But  one  fact  now  occurs  which  seems  at  first  sight,  and 
perhaps  even  after  we  have  made  every  explanation  and 
allowance,  still  almost  inexplicable  —  it  is  that  Rachel  stole 
away  her  father's  images.  How  can  this  be  explained  ? 
First,  we  have  the  proof  that  Laban  was  an  idolater,  or,  if 
not  an  idolater,  and  knowing  the  true  God,  he  worshipped  the 
true  God  by  images.  This  is  equally  idolatry.  You  will 
often  find  the  plea  made  by  those  who  worship,  not  only  before 
images  of  saints,  but  images  of  divine  persons  —  We  are 


262  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

not  giiilty  of  idolatry,  because  we  worship  not  the  images,  but 
the  being  represented  by  the  image.  But  it  is  singular  that 
the  idolatry  generally  denounced  in  Scripture  is  not  the  gross 
idolatry,  or  worship,  of  the  wood  and  stone  'per  se,  but  the 
worship  of  the  true  God  through  the  media  of  images,  and 
paintings,  and  statues,  which  God  has  not  ordained.  The 
idolatry  so  oft  'denounced  in  Scripture  is  not  merely  the 
idolatry  of  the  heathen,  which  is  gross,  but  the  habit  of  wor- 
shipping God  by  images,  or  in  ways  not  sanctioned  by  him. 
Hence,  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  any  graven  image,  or  any 
likeness  of  anything  in  heaven  above :  thou  shalt  not  bow 
down  and  worship  it ;  "  and,  therefore,  to  worship  God  by  or 
through  any  image  of  any  sort,  is  not  to  worship  in  spirit  or 
in  truth,  but  to  worship  in  the  practice  of  an  idolatry  clearly 
and  repeatedly  reprobated  of  God.  It  is  better  that  no  im- 
ages of  Deity  should  be  made  and  set  uj)  in  Christian  temples. 
I  think  that  the  paintings  of  our  blessed  Lord,  even  by  a 
Murillo,  a  Eubens,  a  Salvator  Rosa,  a  Carlo  Dolci,  or  a  Cor- 
rcggio,  however  beautiful,  are  still  sinful  in  the  eyes  of  God 
when  introduced  as  part  of  the  furniture  of  the  house  of 
prayer ;  and  seeing  they  are,  in  the  churches  of  this  country, 
generally  the  most  horrid  daubs,  one  is  pained  to  look  upon 
them,  and  must  feel  that  they  are  not  only  bad  theology,  but 
in  bad  taste  also.  It  seems  to  me,  too,  that  when  the  second 
conunandment  is  written  upon  the  wall — "Thou  shalt  not 
make  unto  thyself  any  graven  image  of  anything  that  is  in 
heaven  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath;  and  thou  shalt 
not  fall  down  and  worship  it" — a  monstrous  inconsistency  to 
place  an  image  beside  it  of  the  second  person  of  the  blessed 
and  adorable  Trinity.  In  an  early  century  of  the  history  of 
the  church,  so  nuich  was  this  I'elt,  that  when  a  curtain  was 
hung  up  in  the  church,  on  which  were  painted  certain  pictures, 
the  minister  pulled  it  down  and  rent  it;  and  very  rightly, 
too, —  so  revolting  did  it  seem,  even  in  those  days,  to  minds 


GENESIS  XXXI.  263 

who  remembered  God  is  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
And  wherever  these  things  have  been  introduced,  we  have 
found  there  the  thin  edge  of  a  wedge  introduced  that  rends 
to  pieces  the  Protestant  Church.  And,  in  the  present  day, 
we  cannot  be  too  plain.  The  polarity  of  thousands  is  Rome- 
ward  ;  the  moral  atmosphere  is  more  or  less  infected  with  a 
superstitious  taint;  and  never  were  we  more  called  upon  to 
be  witnesses  for  truth  in  the  facgof  all  error;  not  bitterly, 
not  acrimoniously — but  firmly;  affectionately,  and  temper- 
ately, it  is  true,  and  yet  firmly. 

Rachel  stole  the  images  of  her  father.  Now,  various  ex- 
planations have  been  offered  of  this.  One  explanation  is, 
that  she  wanted  to  take  away  what  was  the  cause  of  her 
father's  sins ;  but  I  think  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  imagine 
this  to  be  the  explanation.  If  I  went  into  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic chapel,  and  took  out  from  it  its  superstitious  images,  the 
police  courts  would  judge  me  guilty  of  theft,  though  I  might 
assign  for  a  reason  that  I  wanted  to  take  away  from  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  priest  what  justly  made  him  guilty  of  the  sin 
of  idolatry.  Another  explanation  is,  that  she  believed  in 
the  superstition  of  her  father ;  that  she  thought  that  Laban 
divined  by  his  images,  and  knew  what  would  be  an  auspicious 
day  and  an  inauspicious  day  —  where  any  absent  one  was, 
and  how  another  lost  relative  could  be  found;  and,  therefore, 
she  took  away  those  images,  that  the  old  man  might  not  find 
out  the  course  that  the  refugees  had  taken,  and  thus  recover, 
by  successful  pursuit,  all  his  property.  But  another  ground, 
and  I  suspect  the  real  one,  is  that  these  images  were  made  of 
silver  and  gold,  and  that  she,  somewhat  avaricious  like  her 
father,  sinned  in  this  instance,  as  in  others,  by  taking  all  the 
images  that  she  could,  as  she  knew  that  her  father  was  ready 
to  take  away  by  reprisal  all  that  he  had  given  her.  If  this 
be  the  true  solution,  it  reveals  a  painful  trait  in  the  character 
of  Rachel,  that  makes  us  see  how  all  the  saints,  even  the 


264  j^CllirTUKE   HEADINGS. 

choicest  and  the  best,  were  flawed,  and  unfit  for  being  models 
and  how  we  must  full  back  upon  that  Perfect  One  —  who  was 
man,  and  in  the  likeness  of  man,  and  yet  was  holy,  and 
harmless,  and  undefiled.  I  think  you  must  be  struck  by  this, 
in  reading  God's  word,  that  there  is  not  a  saint  in  it  to  whom 
imperfections  do  not  cleave ;  but  against  Jesus  not  even  his 
foes  could  breathe  a  true  charge,  or  urge  a  real  fault ;  and  in 
him  alone  the  argus-eyed  jpolice  of  Jerusalem,  bribed  and 
hired,  could  not  detect  the  least  inconsistency,  or  prove  the 
lightest  crime. 

There  is,  next,  the  account  of  Laban's  pursuit  after  them, 
and  of  the  denial  of  the  possession  of  the  images  by  Rachel, 
whose  tact  never  failed  in  any  emergency.  We  must  not 
blame  Jacob,  the  husband :  he  did  not  know  of  the  theft ; 
Rachel,  the  wife,  alone  was  in  fault.  She  secretly  stole 
them,  and  told  not  even  her  husband ;  and,  therefore,  he  was 
not  guilty  of  any  conspiracy  with  her  in  the  theft.  In  the 
thirtieth  and  thirty-first  verses  you  will  see  an  answer  re- 
turned by  Jacob  which  seems  to  puzzle  a  little :  "  And  now, 
though  thou  wouldest  needs  be  gone,  because  thou  sore  long- 
edst  after  thy  father's  house," —  as  if  thy  childhood  were  not 
overcome,  and  you  were  homesick, —  "  yet  wherefore  hast  thou 
stolen  my  gods  ?  "  Now  the  answer  of  Jacob,  in  the  thirty- 
first  verse,  seems  strange :  *'  And  Jacob  answered  and  said  to 
Laban,  Because  I  was  afraid ;  for  I  said,  Peradventure  thou 
wouldest  take  by  force  thy  daughters  from  me."  It  is  only  in 
the  thirty-second  verse  that  we  find  the  answer  to  Laban's 
question,  "  With  whomsoever  thou  findest  thy  gods,  let  him 
not  live."  But  the  thirty-first  verse  is  an  answer  to  a  previous 
question  of  Laban's ;  namely,  the  question  contained  in  the 
twenty-sixth  verse,  "  And  Laban  said  to  Jacob,  What  hast 
thou  done,  that  thou  hast  stolen  away  unawares  to  me,  and 
carried  away  my  daughters,  as  captives  taken  with  the 
sword  ? " —  why  did  you  go  away  like  a  thief,  like  a  criminal, 


GENESIS  XXXI.  265 

not  letting  me  know  ?  The  answer  to  this  is  given  in  the 
thirty -first  verse  :  "Because  I  was  afraid;  for  I  said,  Per- 
adventure  thou  wouldest  take  by  force  thy  daughters  from 
me."  It  was  no  compliment  to  Laban,  but  it  was  the  honest 
conviction  of  Jacob's  heart,  from  his  experimental  acquaint- 
ance with  Laban's  character.  And  then  the  thirty-second 
verse  is  the  answer  to  the  question  about  the  gods,  and  it 
shows  that  Jacob  did  not  know  that  Kachel  had  stolen  them, 
or  had  possession  of  them.  Kachel  denied  that  she  had  them, 
and  refused  to  be  searched.  They  were  not  discovered  by 
Laban,  as  Rachel,  the  real  delinquent,  refused  to  be  personally 
examined ;  and  Laban  was  therefore  obliged  to  feel  and  con- 
clude that  his  gods  were  not  stolen  by  these  parties.  Well, 
then,  the  least  that  he  could  have  done  after  thus  discovering 
their  innocence,  would  have  been  to  make  apology.  When  he 
did  not  find  the  stolen  property  which  he  had  said  that  these 
parties  had  taken  away,  the  least  he  could  do  was  to  make 
an  apology  ;  but  he  did  not  do  it.  Like  human  nature  still, 
he  evidently  smoothed  it  over,  and  proposed  a  covenant  for 
future  conduct,  instead  of  an  apology  for  past  uncharitable- 
ness  ;  and  the  rude  arrangements  for  that  covenant  for  future 
doings  were  made  according  to  the  custom  of  those  days. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

JACOB    A    REFUGEE  —  CONSCIENCE    JIAKES    COWARDICE  —  ANGELS    MEET 

JACOB JACOB'S   PLANS    OF   PROPITIATING   ESAU MESSAGE   TO  ESAU 

—  HIS   PRAYER  —  HIS   PRESENTS  TO   ESAU. 

Jacob,  as  we  ascertained  in  a  previous  chapter,  dissatisfied 
with  his  services  and  his  pay  in  the  house  and  family  of 
Laban,  the  father  of  Rachel,  as  indeed  he  had  reason  to  be, 
is  now  a  refugee  alike  from  the  home  of  his  father-in-law,  and 
from  the  wrath  of  his  brother,  justly  excited  by  Jacob  receiv- 
ing his  birth-right  by  deceit,  and  thus  dislodging  and  dis- 
planting  him.  In  such  circumstances,  Jacob  felt,  as  most 
feel,  that  when  the  conscience  is  ill  at  ease,  the  heart  is  rarely 
very  heroic.  Jacob  felt  he  had  done  wrong  before  God,  and 
unjustly  toward  man ;  and  conscience,  so  accusing,  makes  a 
coward  of  him  that  feels  it.  God,  whose  mercies  abound, 
even  where  man's  sins  abound,  whose  ways  are  not  our  ways, 
and  who  in  judgment  remembers  mercy,  seems  to  have  met 
Jacob,  and  often,  in  spite  of  his  sins,  often  over  his  sins,  to 
have  sustained  and  comforted  him ;  yet  not  forgetting,  but 
condemning  his  sins,  and  leading  Jacob  not  only  by  his  grace 
to  repent  of  them,  but  in  his  providence  bitterly  to  feel  and 
see  the  retributions  to  which  sins  necessarily  lead,  even  in 
this  present  life,  and  in  the  best  of  men.  "  The  angels  of 
God  met  him."  This  is  an  angelic  function.  They  are  min- 
istering servants  to  them  that  are  the  heirs  of  salvation ;  and 
on  God's  errands,  and  executing  his  behests,  they  came  to 
Jacob,  dejected  and  depressed,  for  purposes  of  comfort,  en- 
couragement and  cheering.     And  he  called  the  name  of  the 


GENESIS    XXXII.  267 

place  where  he  had  been  thus  encouraged  and  reinvigorated, 
Mahanaim  ;  that  is,  "  The  place  of  God's  hosts,"  or  "  multi- 
tudes," or  "  angels."  He  thus  made  each  stage  in  his  jour- 
ney a  shrine  of  recollections.  Knowing  that  he  had  to  pass 
through  the  country  of  Esau  his  brother,  and  anticipating, 
from  the  exasperated  state  of  Esau's  feelings,  that  there  was 
very  little  likelihood  of  his  having  a  quiet  and  unobstructed 
route  through  his  wild  territory,  he  falls  upon  the  good  and 
Christian  policy  of  trying  to  propitiate,  instead  of  making 
ready  to  fight,  his  brother,  and  thus  to  secure,  if  possible,  a 
peaceful  and  quiet  route  through  the  country  which  Esau,  the 
powerful  sheik,  governed.  You  will  notice  in  his  arrange- 
ments a  great  deal  of  cunning,  or  rather  of  policy,  in  Jacob ; 
though  perhaps  there  was  cunning,  too,  for  there  were  many 
grievous  defects  in  his  character ;  he  seems  to  have  had  a 
great  deal  of  shrewd  policy,  and  a  right  estimate  of  what 
men  were,  and  how  men  are  to  be  dealt  with,  in  order  to 
manage  them  successfully.  He  says,  in  the  fourth  verse,  to 
his  servants,  "  Thus  shall  ye  speak  unto  my  lord  Esau."  He 
gives  Esau  a  title  of  dignity.  Now,  the  fact  was  that  Jacob, 
the  younger,  had  got  the  blessing  —  Esau  had  lost  it;  but 
Jacob  addresses  Esau  just  as  if  he  had  obtained  what  he  was 
entitled  to  as  the  elder  —  the  blessing,  and  that  he,  Jacob 
the  younger,  had  it  not.  He  covered  his  own  designs  by  a 
compliment  to  Esau ;  and  men  still  will  often  be  complimented 
into  temper  when  they  will  not  be  coerced  into  it.  He  says, 
Go  and  tell  "to  my  lord  Esau,  thy  servant  Jacob,"  —  not 
thy  brother  Jacob,  still  less  thy  brother  who  has  got  the 
blessing  that  he  took  away  from  you  by  deceit, —  "  thy  ser- 
vant Jacob  saith  thus,  I  have  sojourned  with  Laban,  and 
stayed  there  until  now :  and  I  have  oxen,  and  asses,  flocks, 
and  men-servants,  and  women-servants."  Why  does  he  tell 
him  this  ?  Not  evidently  by  way  of  parade  of  the  riches 
that  he  had  amassed,  but  as  a  reason  why  Jacob  should  not 
23 


SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

seem,  by  appealing  to  Esau,  to  be  going  to  ask  him  for  any- 
thing. Esau,  as  Jacob  foresaw,  would  say,  He  is  compli- 
menting me  as  an  apology  for  what  he  has  done  before ;  he 
is  disposed  to  merge  all  recollections  that  he  has  got  the  bless- 
ing; no  doubt  he  wants  money:  he  would  not  come  to  me 
except  he  was  in  straitened  cii'cumstances ;  and  therefore, 
I  suppose,  all  this  compliment  is  preliminary  to  asking  the 
loan  of  a  sum  that  he  wants  for  his  journey,  or  begging  in 
destitution  and  in  need.  But  the  answer  of  Jacob  to  this  is, 
Tell  him  at  once  that  I  am  not  come  to  ask  him  for  anything, 
for  I  have  oxen,  and  asses,  and  flocks,  and  men-servants,  and 
women-servants ;  I  am  come  for  one  thing  only,  "  that  I  ma'y 
find  grace  in  thy  sight,"  —  that  is  all  I  ask.  The  messengers 
returned  to  Jacob,  and  said,  "  We  came  to  thy  brother  Esau," 
—  they  used  diflferent  language,  not  thy  lord  Esau,  —  "and 
also  he  cometh  to  meet  thee,  and  four  hundred  men  with 
him."  They  did  not  state  the  reception  that  they  met  with ; 
but  Jacob  guessed  what  the  four  hundred  men  were  likely  to 
be  after,  by  the  light  of  his  conscience,  which  told  him  that 
he  had  done  wrong,  and  therefore  that  he  might  fear ;  and 
you  know,  quite  well,  that  when  a  person  has  sin  within,  he 
puts  a  construction  on  everything  that  happens,  in  the  light 
of  his  sin.  For  instance,  when  the  disciples  were  tossed  on 
the  waves,  they  knew  that  they  had  done  wrong,  and  so, 
when  Jesus  came,  they  thought,  at  first,  it  was  a  spirit, — not 
from  any  likeness  in  Jesus,  but  from  their  own  fears, —  "  and 
they  were  afraid,"  and  they  could  scarcely  believe  that  it 
was  he.  When  a  man  has  done  wrong,  he  believes  that 
everything  that  betides  him  in  providence  comes  to  him,  not 
as  a  mercy,  but  as  a  retribution  for  his  sins. 

Jacob  now  divided  the  people  that  were  with  him,  and  the 
flocks,  and  herds,  and  the  camels,  into  two  bands.  He  antic- 
ipated battle ;  he  made  ready  for  the  worst ;  but  if  he  did 
BO,  one  would  suppose  that,  instead  of  dividing  his  forces,  and 


GENESIS   XXXII.  269 

allowing  them  to  be  beaten  in  detail,  he  ought  rather,  accord- 
ing to  the  usage  of  Napoleon,  to  have  concentrated  all  his 
forces,  in  order  to  strike  a  blow  that  would  be  most  success- 
ful bj  being  most  powerfully  concentrated.  But  he  was  no 
soldier,  but  a  shepherd ;  and,  therefore,  his  blunders  in  mili- 
tary strategy  can  be  easily  excused.  If  he  did  not  anticipate 
battle,  he  might  have  thought  that  he  had  no  means  of  suc- 
cess, if  battle  took  place,  and  that  an  appeal,  ad  misericor- 
diam,  to  the  compassion  of  Esau,  would  be  more  serviceable ; 
he  therefore  sends  one  band  forward  to  see  how  they  might  be 
treated.  If  he  had  sent  all  forward,  he  felt,  no  doubt,  that 
all  would  be  destroyed ;  but  if  he  sent  forth  half,  then,  if 
they  were  destroyed,  it  would  be  a  warning  to  the  others  to 
escape  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  seek  safety  in  flight. 

Before  making  all  his  arrangements,  he  addressed  God  in 
prayer,  in  words  truly  beautiful  and  holy :  "  0  God  of  my 
father  Abraham,"  —  that  is,  a  covenant  God,  —  "  and  God  of 
my  father  Isaac,  the  Lord  which  saidst  unto  me,  Return  unto 
thy  country,  and  to  thy  kindred,  and  I  will  deal  well  with 
thee,"  —  pleading  God's  promise;  then  he  adds,  "I  am  not 
worthy  of  the  least  of  all  the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth, 
which  thou  hast  showed  unto  thy  servant."  I  am  most  un- 
worthy; I  have  done  nothing  to  deserve  it,  I  have  done 
everything  to  forfeit  it ;  I  am  a  miserable  sinner ;  I  can  only 
appeal  to  thy  great  mercy,  who  hast  set  purposes  to  accom- 
plish in  thy  providence,  to  deliver  me  from  the  wrath  of  my 
brother  Esau,  whom  I  have  justly  offended.  He  pleads  God's 
promise,  "I  will  surely  do  thee  good."  This  is  a  very  just 
precedent  for  us. 

He  then  sends  a  present  —  a  very  handsome  present  —  to 
Esau.  Remember  that  the  age  was  a  pastoral  age,  and  prop- 
erty was  cattle.  I  explained  before  that  the  ybyj  wordmoney 
in  Latin,  and  in  some  degree  in  English,  has  a  reference  to 
cattle  as   its   origin.     Pecu7iia,  which   means   money,  from 


270  JSCRIPTURK   READINGS. 

which  our  word  pecuniary  is  derived,  comes  from  the  word 
peais,  cattle  ;  and  on  ancient  coins  we  find  the  picture  of  an 
ox  in  alto-reUevn.  He  sent  Esau  a  very  handsome  present, 
and  he  arranges  his  present  so  that  one  present  should  come 
after  another,  till  Esau  should  suppose  that  there  was  no  end 
to  the  property  that  he  was  to  receive  from  successive  com- 
panies coming  up,  telling  him  the  reason  why  they  had  come 
from  Jacob,  and  the  liberality  which  they  were  commissioned 
to  exercise.     All  ended  far  better  than  he  had  expected. 

"We  read  next  of  his  retirement  and  sequestration  for  a 
little,  and  of  that  remarkable  scene  in  the  close  of  the  chap- 
ter,—  an  actual  scene,  not  a  vision, —  wherein  he  wrestled 
with  some  mysterious  Being;  —  how,  we  cannot  say, —  who 
said,  "  Let  me  go,  for  the  day  breaketh."  The  Hebrew  word 
meaning  to  wrestle^  like  the  corresponding  Greek,  literally 
implies  to  raise  the  dust.  It  might  have  been  said  that 
Jacob  dusted  with  this  Being,  wrestling  being  so  called  in 
consequence  of  its  raising  the  dust.  This  is  so  both  in  He- 
brew and  in  Greek.  And  Jacob  said,  "  I  will  not  let  thee 
go,  except  thou  bless  me."  What  intense  desire  for  a  bless- 
ing !  "  And  he  said  unto  him,  AYhat  is  thy  name  ?  "  —  not 
that  he  was  ignorant  of  it,  —  "And  he  said  Jacob,"  which 
means  a  supplanter.  Then  this  Being  changed  this  name, 
which  arose  from  a  discreditable  occurrence,  and  gave  him  a 
more  noble  and  aristocratic  one  in  its  place  —  "Israel,"  lit- 
erally "  a  man  with  God,"  or,  "a  man  with  power  with  God." 
Here  is  the  origin  of  a  word  that  has  lasted  to  this  day,  and 
that  will  last  while  human  speech  is  spoken,  or  while  human 
recollection  survives,  or  this  dispensation  runs.  This  change 
of  name  often  occurs  in  ancient  history.  You  wdll  recollect 
that  in  this  most  interesting  history  of  the  patriarch  that  we 
have  been  reading,  Abram  was  altered  to  Abraham,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  change  of  circumstances,  and  Sarai  was  altered 
to  Sarah,  from  another  change  of  relation  and  circuujst.vnces. 


GENESIS    XXXII.  271 

So  Jacob  here  is  called  Israel,  by  which  name  he  is  oftener 
known  in  after  times. 

Jacob  said,  "  Tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  thy  name."  And  this 
Being  did  not  tell  him  what  his  name  was,  to  satisfy  a  useless 
curiosity  ;  but  he  did  what  was  much  better,  he  blessed  him. 
In  the  blessing  he  read  the  name  of  its  Author.  God  does 
not  always  give  whjlt  we  ask,  but  he  gives  what  is  better  than 
we  ask.  Paul  said,  "  Remove  the  thorn  from  me ;  "  but 
Christ  replied,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee." 

Jacob  soon  found  out  that  this  Being  was  a  Divine  Being, 
and  he  called  the  place  Peniel,  that  is,  '-the  flice  of  God," — 
"  for  I  have  seen  God  face  to  face."  It  was  the  common 
impression  that  for  any  one  to  see  God  was  to  be  destroyed, 
and  therefore  he  adds,  "  and  my  life  is  preserved." 

As  he  travelled  on,  he  halted  upon  his  thigh.  He  was 
wounded,  perhaps,  to  be  a  memento  through  life  of  that  mys- 
terious struggle,  —  a  sacramental  sign  and  seal  of  communion 
with  God.  The  statement  in  the  thirty-second  verse  is  merely 
the  recital  of  a  fact  among  the  Jews,  not  a  law,  about  eating 
the  sinew  of  the  thigh.  Jacob's  lim.b  was  dislocated,  no 
doubt;  and  the  Jews,  of  their  own  will,  kept  up  a  practice 
which  God  did  not  authorize,  but  which  they  practised. 
Remember  that  the  Bible  always  states  the  historic  facts, 
without  always  giving  those  historic  facts  as  precedents  for  us 
to  imitate,  or  as  instances  of  principles  in  themselves  good. 
23=^ 


CHAPTER    XXXriI. 

JACOB'S   l-EAES HIS   MEETING   WITH    ESAU  HIS    ARRANGEMENTS  

NATURAL    AMIABILITY  —  CHRISTIAN     CHARACTER THE    ALTAR    AND 

THE  TENT-MONEY. 

Those  who  were  present  in  the  course  of  my  expository 
remarks  of  the  previous  chapters  will  recollect  the  cause  of 
the  bitter  quarrel  that  broke  out,  and  long  subsisted,  between 
Esau  and  Jacob.  Jacob  had  deprived  him  of  his  birthright 
by  stratagem,  and  thereby  provoked  a  resentment,  which  he 
had  experienced  more  than  once  in  its  most  formidable  as- 
pect and  intensest  degree.  Jacob  naturally  anticipated,  that, 
having  to  go  through  the  land  of  which  Esau  was  the  sheik, 
or  chief  governor,  or  ruler,  he  would  meet,  what  he  felt  he  too 
well  deserved,  opposition,  and  probably  destruction,  to  him- 
self and  to  all  his.  He,  therefore,  made  arrangements,  in 
the  chapter  which  we  have  previously  read,  alike  politic  and 
proper,  to  give  very  valuable  presents  to  Esau,  in  order  to  pro- 
pitiate him.  He  also  resolved  to  send  messengers  beforehand, 
using  the  language  of  the  profoundest  deference  and  respect  to 
Esau,  and  of  the  profoundest  humility  in  reference  to  himself. 
He  also  arranged  to  divide  his  whole  followers  into  sections, 
so  that,  if  Esau  should  be  found  hostile,  he  might  fall  upon  one, 
which  alone  would  perish ;  and  his  falling  upon  the  first,  though 
destructive  to  it,  would  be  a  signal  for  the  second  and  the  third 
to  take  to  flight,  and  save  themselves  as  they  best  could. 

Wc  find  in  the  chapter,  what  Jacob  did  not  anticipate, 
that  Esau,  instead  of  receiving  him  with  all  the  hostility  that 


GENESIS  xxxiir.  273 

he  had  most  justly  provoked,  welcomed  him  with  a  kindness, 
a  cordiality,  and  an  expression  of  brotherhood,  that  did  Esau 
the  highest  credit,  and  must  have  made  Jacob  feel  humbled 
in  the  sight  of  God,  and  ashamed  of  his  suspicions,  in  the 
presence  of  his  brother.  Jacob,  it  is  said,  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  saw  Esau  come  with  four  hundred  men,  who,  he  was  told, 
accompanied  him,  and  who  he  at  first  thought  were  ready  to 
fall  upon  him,  and  destroy  him ;  and  accordingly  he  made  ar- 
rangements to  meet  them.  He  put  the  handmaids  foremost ; 
then  Leah  and  her  children  ;  then  Kachel,  the  most  beloved, 
and  Joseph,  the  most  cared  for,  last,  or  in  the  rear,  that  they 
might,  if  possible,  escape  whatever  hazard  might  occur,  or 
whatever  destruction  might  overtake  the  rest.  He  then  ap- 
proached to  Esau,  trying  fair  means  first,  and  bowed  himself 
seven  times.  I  may  just  state,  that  seven  is  used  in  Scripture 
in  a  vague  or  wide  sense  :  it  is  used  in  the  sense  of  a  great 
many  times,  and  does  not  always  denote  the  exact  numeral 
seven.  It  is  used  here,  probably,  to  denote  several,  or  a  good 
many  times,  and  so  to  express  the  profound  respect  he  felt. 
And  he  came  near  to  his  brother ;  and  what  must  have  been 
his  amazement  as  he  discovered  that  Esau, —  who  was  justly 
ofi"ended,  who  had  been  defrauded,  whose  resentment  had 
been  provoked  by  the  most  gratuitous  outrage  upon  what  was 
his  privilege,  his  property,  and  his  right,  who  had  shown 
on  previous  occasions  the  deep  indignation  he  felt, —  ran  to 
meet  him,  embraced  him  as  a  brother,  fell  upon  his  neck  and 
kissed  him  !  And  they  both  wept  —  the  one  from  excess  of 
love,  the  other  from  a  sense  of  sorrow,  that  he  had  acted  so 
badly  in  the  past,  and  now  met  with  treatment  so  superior  to 
what  he  deserved  or  expected  in  the  present. 

Now,  recollect  all  along,  that  Jacob,  with  all  his  faults,  was 
the  Christian ;  and  that  Esau,  with  all  his  excellences,  was 
not  a  Christian  ;  and  then  learn  this  lesson  —  that  the  natural 
man,  unsanctified  and  unregenerate  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of 


274  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

God,  very  often  displays  beautiful  traits  of  character,  that 
must  make  the  most  eminent  Christian  blush,  while  the 
Christian  often  exhibits  traits  of  temper  most  unworthy  of 
his  name.  "We  have  Esau,  in  this  scene,  who  did  not  pretend 
to  have  any  religion,  showing  a  spirit  of  love  and  forgetful- 
ness  of  wrongs  that  was  perfectly  lovely ;  and  here  we  have 
Jacob,  who  was  a  Christian,  though  with  great  fiiults,  and 
flaws,  and  drawbacks,  exhibiting,  in  some  parts  of  his  life,  a 
conduct  inconsistent  with  what  becomes  the  living  epistles  of 
Christianity.  Some  men  are  formed  with  a  constitution  so 
amiable,  that  none  but  the  Searcher  of  hearts  can  see  whether 
that  amiability  is  the  result  of  nature  or  of  grace.  Other- 
men  are  cast  in  a  mould  so  rough,  and  endued  with  a  temper- 
ament so  explosive,  that  one  often  hesitates  to  decide  that 
they  are  Christians  at  all,  although  there  are  reasons  behind, 
and  not  seen  by  the  outward  world,  that  show  they  are,  not- 
withstanding, under  the  most  powerful  influences  and  action 
of  the  grace  of  God.  You  can  conceive,  when  two  men 
are  brought  together,  one  constitutionally  amiable,  the  other 
constitutionally  irascible  and  irritable,  that  there  may  be 
more  of  the  grace  of  God  in  the  most  irritable  than  in  the 
most  amiable,  though  it  appears  less  in  the  one  than  in  the 
other,  because  grace  has,  in  many  a  case,  an  inner  work  to  do, 
in  eradicating  and  repressing  what  is  bad  within  us ;  and 
often  it  is  so  absorbingly  employed  and  so  exhausted  in  this 
weary  inner  labor,  that  it  does  not  yet  show  its  outer  influence 
in  whatsoever  things  are  fair,  and  lovely,  and  just,  and  of 
good  report.  The  more  that  we  acquaint  ourselves  with  the 
differences  of  human  nature,  and  the  varieties  of  human 
character,  and  the  influences  which  the  grace  of  God  has  to 
resist  as  well  as  develop,  the  less  we  shall  be  disposed  to  judge 
severely  —  the  more  we  shall  be  prepared  to  pray  and  wait 
for  that  great  and  final  day,  when  Esau  shall  be  seen  as  he  is, 
and  Jacob  as  he  is,  and  we  shall  know  just  as  we  are  known. 


WENKSis  xxxrii.  275 

You  will  notice,  again,  when  Jacob  came  up  to  Esau,  from 
whom  he  had  met  so  unexpected  a  reception, —  a  reception  so 
much  better  than  he  anticipated, —  that  they  all  bowed  them- 
selves before  him ;  and  Jacob,  though  he  had  the  blessing, 
therefore  the  precedence,  and  therefore  the  dignity,  yet,  in 
speaking  to  Esau,  merged  his  own  privilege,  which  he  had 
unjustly,  but  truly  and  irreversibly  obtained,  and  gave  Esau 
the  rank,  the  expressions  of  deference  and  dignitj',  which 
properly  belonged  to  himself;  and  therefore  he  said,  "These 
are  to  find  grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord,'" —  not  my  brother ; 
as  if  Esau,  being  the  elder,  still  had  the  birthright,  and  ought 
to  be  recognized  as  such.  Then  Esau  said,  "  I  have  enough, 
my  brother."  I  do  not  want  more  of  your  money,  your  pos- 
sessions, your  property ;  but  Jacob  prayed  him  that  he  would 
take  his  blessing,  that  is,  the  presents  he  had  brought.  In 
Eastern  countries  still,  it  is  a  mark  of  deference  from  an  in- 
ferior to  a  superior  to  give  presents ;  but  it  is  a  mark  of 
rudeness,  almost  of  discourtesy,  sometimes  of  hostility,  to 
refuse  the  present  that  is  thus  presented  to  you. 

In  the  twelfth  verse,  Esau  says  to  Jacob,  "  Let  us  take  our 
journey,  and  let  us  go,  and  I  will  go  before  thee."  Jacob 
refuses,  and  thus  apologizes :  "  My  lord  knoweth  that  the 
children  are  tender,  and  the  flocks  and  herds  with  young  are 
with  me,  and  if  men  should  over-drive  them  one  day,  all  the 
fl.ock  will  die.  Let  my  lord,  I  pray  thee,  pass  over  before 
his  servant ;  and  I  will  lead  on  softly."  Now,  some  think 
that  this  was  not  perfectly  sincere  on  the  part  of  Jacob  ;  others 
think  that  it  was  justified  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 
Esau  was  so  gracious,  that  he  offered  to  be  his  guide  unto 
Seir,  and  to  conduct  him  without  any  trouble  or  inconvenience 
over  his  part  of  the  country  ;  but  some  think  that  Jacob  sus- 
pected Esau,  after  all,  and  that,  though  Esau  had  fallen  upon 
his  neck,  and  shown  so  great  kindness,  yet  Jacob  had  a  lin- 
gering suspicion  that  it  was  not  sincere,  but  was  merely 


276  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

outward,  and  that  he  ought  not  to  put  himself  too  much  in 
Esau's  power,  lest  he  should  betray  him.  Others  think  that 
Esau,  being  a  man  who  did  not  profess  religion,  and  Jacob 
being  a  Christian,  ever  building  an  altar  where  he  pitched 
his  tent,  Jacob  felt  that  he  ought  not,  although  he  was  his 
brother,  to  be  unnecessarily  mixed  up  in  his  fellowship  in  the 
sight  of  the  world.  But,  at  all  events,  Jacob  did  excuse 
himself,  and  said  that  he  was  not  prepared  to  go  so  fast  as  Esau 
miffht  go :  and  therefore  he  ousrht  to  have  such  time  as  the  flocks, 
the  cattle,  and  the  mothers  big  with  young,  rendered  necessary. 

Jacob  went  onward  to  Shalem,  and  there  he  pitched  his 
tent;  and  it  is  said  that  where  he  pitched  his  tent  he 
erected  an  altar  ;  that  is,  wherever  you  have  a  home, 
there  you  ought  to  have  a  recognized  God.  Wherever  man 
builds  a  house,  he  ought  to  recollect  he  should  have  in  it  an 
oratory ;  wherever  man  is,  whatever  man  does,  a  sense  of  a 
present  God  and  a  recognition  of  his  sovereignty  ought  to  be 
his  duty.  Wherever,  therefore,  there  is  a  family,  there  ought 
to  be  family  worship.  How  can  we  expect  family  blessings, 
unless,  as  a  family,  we  ask  them  ?  As  individuals,  we  ask 
individual  blessings  in  prayer ;  as  a  family,  we  should  ask 
family  blessings  in  prayer;  as  a  nation,  we  ought  to  ask 
national  blessings  in  prayer.  In  all  the  associations  in  which 
man  is  cast,  either  by  nature,  or  by  grace,  or  by  Providence, 
or  by  fact,  there  he  ought  to  try  to  hallow  them  by  asking 
the  blessing  and  the  presence  of  God. 

I  may  just  explain,  at  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  verse, 
what  is  meant  by  he  bought  the  land  for  "  an  hundred  pieces 
of  money."  The  words  translated  "  an  hundred  pieces  of 
money,"  might  be  translated,  "  an  hundred  lambs  of  money  " 
—  a  very  singular  expression  ;  but  you  will  easily  understand 
it,  when  you  remember  what  I  said  before,  that  Latin  for 
money  comes  from  the  Latin  word  for  cattle;  hence,  joecw- 
nia,  pecicSj   cattle;    and,  hence,  these  might  have  been  an 


GENESIS  XXXIII.  277 

hundred  pieces  of  money,  with  a  figure  of  a  lamb  in  alto  re- 
lievo  struck  upon  them,  to  show  what  money  originated  from  ; 
and  we  know  that  in  early  Greek  and  Koman  times  coins 
bore  a  similar  impression,  as  we  may  see  in  ancient  coins 
preserved  at  this  day. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 


BHECHEM'S    and   DIXAH'S   sin SircCIIEM'S   SUBSEQUENTLY   HONORABLE 

CONDUCT SIMEON   AND   LEVl's   VENGEANCE JACOB'S    GRIEF. 


It  is  not  every  portion  of  sacred  writ  that  is  instructive  to 
all.  Some  records  of  the  sins  of  men  are  better  read  in  pri- 
vate than  in  public  or  in  the  family.  Dinah  evidently  was  in 
the  habit  of  going  out  to  see  and  be  seen.  This  led  to  her  loss 
of  that  which  is  the  highest  natural  excellence  and  virtue.  No 
daughter  should  go  beyond  the  range  of  a  mother's  eye,  or 
indulge  desires  and  passions  which  are  holy  only  -^yithin  the 
limits  God  has  assigned.  Shechem  acted  afterwards  in  such 
a  way  as  was  fitted  to  repair  as  much  as  possible  the  wrong 
he  had  done.  In  most  similar  cases  possession  leads  to  entire 
alienation.  In  his  case  it  did  not.  If  we  except  his  first  act, 
his  conduct  was  generous  and  noble.  But  that  which  was  first 
ought  to  have  been  last.  Dinah's  brothers  not  only  were 
grieved,  as  they  ought,  but  they  cherished  feelings  of  deep 
revenge.  Shechem's  proposals  were  most  proper ;  his  affec- 
tion for  Dinah  most  deep  ;  his  readiness  to  sufier  rather  than 
lose  her  most  praiseworthy  ;  and  so  far  he  did  all  that  man 
could  do  to  compensate  for  the  wrong.  Simeon  and  Levi,  the 
brothers  of  Dinah,  acted  an  atrocious  part.  Their  conduct  was 
indefensible.  It  was  not  love  to  a  sister  whom  Shechem  loved, 
and  desired  to  make  his  wife,  but  a  bitter,  unforgiving,  and 
unchristian  spirit  of  revenge. 

Jacob  felt  it  bitterly,  and  saw  that  his  name,  and  character, 
and  family,  were  seriously  injured  ;  not  so  much  by  Dinah's 


GENESIS  XXXIV.  279 

first  fall  as  by  her  brothers'  subsequent  ferocity  in  avenging 
what  Shechem  was  ready  to  repair. 

Passion  indulged  has  no  limits.  It  is  as  letting  forth 
of  water.  Lord,  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver 
us  from  evil. 

24 


CHAPTEE    XXXV. 


JACOB'S   rORGETFULXESS IMAGES   AND   IDOLS DEVOTION   AND   FASH- 
ION  A  CONSECRATED   PLACE THE   NURSE'S   DEATH MASTERS  AND 

SERVANTS  —  JACOB     CHANGED     TO     ISRAEL DEATH     OF      BELOVED 

RACHEL — ISAAC'S     DEATH HIS    CHARACTER RECONCILIATION    AT 

THE    GRAVE'S   MOUTH. 


Jacob,  having  forgotten  the  vows  that  he  had  made  in  his 
earlier  days,  is  here  reminded  by  God  what  those  vows  were, 
and  called  upon  to  return  and  go  back  to  Beth-el,  and  there 
fullil  the  vows  that  he  had  so  spontaneously  and  so  heartily 
made. 

It  appears  that  at  this  time,  and  even  in  this  land,  and 
notwithstanding  all  the  lessons  they  had  learned,  and  the 
mercies  they  had  tasted,  there  were  idols,  or  strange  gods,  in 
the  midst  of  them,  as  well  as  earrings  in  their  ears.  It  does 
not  imply  that  it  was  sinful  to  wear  these  if  they  were  proper 
in  themselves  ;  but  it  was  the  custom  to  have  earrings  in  their 
ears,  and,  having  idols  upon  them,  and  also  images  upon  their 
nose  jewels,  to  look  to  these,  not  merely  as  ornaments,  but  as 
objects  of  adoration.  I  saw,  myself,  almost  a  combination  of 
this,  last  autumn,  when  I  strayed  into  the  church  of  the  Mad- 
eleine, in  Paris.  I  saw  what  was  meant  to  be  a  bracelet  for 
ornament,  on  an  apparently  devout  lady's  arm,  made  use  of 
as  beads,  by  which  she  offered  her  prayers  in  the  sanctuary ; 
thus  combining  devotion  and  fiishion,  prayer  and  ornament, 
in  a  way  that  perfectly  illustrates  the  ancient  patriarchal 
custom,  that  of  having  their  earrings  for  idols,  and  their  orna- 
menta  for  images,  that  they  were  in  the  habit  of  worshipping. 


GENESIS   XXXV.  281 

Jacob  ordered  all  these  ornaments  and  earrings  to  be  put 
away ;  not  because  they  were  ornaments,  but  because  they 
were  idols. 

"  So  Jacob  came  to  Luz,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
that  is,  Beth-el."  You  will  recollect  the  change  on  this  occa- 
sion. In  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  it  is  said  that  the  place 
where  the  angel  wrestled  with  him  was  called  Luz,  a  word 
which  means  a  place  of  almond-trees,  where  almond-trees 
grow ;  but  Jacob  changed  its  name  from  Luz,  which,  was  a 
mere  geographical  name,  and  called  it  Beth-el,  the  house  of 
God,  a  new  and  sacred  name,  in  remembrance  of  the  scene 
that  had  swept  before  his  vision  on  it,  and  thus  consecrating 
the  place  and  warranting  him  in  no  more  calling  it  by  its 
own  ancient,  but  by  a  new  and  more  sacred  name.  Holy 
reminiscences  make  holy  ground.  God's  name  is  a  sanctu- 
ary ;  —  "He  built  there  an  altar,  and  called  the  place  El- 
beth-el,"  which  is,  the  God  of  Beth-el.  The  original  was  the 
house  of  God,  but  he  gives  it  another  name,  "  The  God  of 
Beth-el,"  implying  that  it  was  not  the  place  that  gave  it 
sacredness,  but  it  was  the  name  of  God  that  gave  it  its  hal- 
lowing influence. 

We  then  read  "that  Deborah,  Rebekah's  nurse,  died."  It 
is  the  habit  in  Eastern  countries,  and  in  some  parts  of  our 
own  country,  to  venerate  a  nurse,  and  properly  so ;  but  in 
ancient  times  it  was  especially  so ;  so  that,  if  you  read  the 
writings  of  Terence,  the  Latin  comedian,  you  will  find  there 
that  the  nurse  of  the  fiimily  was  a  very  important  personage. 
Deborah  evidently  accompanied  Bebekah  in  all  her  wander- 
ings ;  and  when  she  died,  she  was  sorrowed  over  as  a  loved, 
but  now  lost  domestic  ;  and  so  great  was  her  loss  felt  to  be, 
that  the  very  place  where  she  was  buried  was  called  "  The 
oaks  of  weeping  —  Allonbachuth,"  on  account  of  the  great 
sorrow  that  took  place  at  her  burial.  There  is  something 
very  beautiful  in  this.     Now,  the  servant  is  too  much  treated 


26fil  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

as  a  mere  machine,  and  the  master  as  the  mere  governor  of 
the  machine  ;  —  the  servant  receives  so  much,  and  the  master 
pays  so  much,  and  thinks  that  he  is  to  exact  as  much  return 
as  he  can  for  his  wages,  and  then,  when  they  have  exchanged 
their  duties,  there  is  an  end  of  all  the  connection.  The  con- 
sequence of  this  is  a  great  deal  of  depravity  prevailing  in 
both  extremes  of  society.  A  family  —  master,  and  mistress, 
and  servants — ought  to  be  a  congregation  and  a  church  ;  and 
while  every  one  is  to  occujDy  his  proper  place,  and  to  show 
the  deference  and  to  discharge  the  duties  that  belong  to  that 
place,  yet  there  should  not  be  so  much  of  the  mercenary  and 
so  little  of  the  aflfectionate  in  their  intercourse  and  commuii- 
ion  with  each  other.  There  is  a  duty  besides  wages  that  the 
master  owes  to  his  servants,  and  there  is  an  allegiance  besides 
work  that  the  servant  owes  to  his  master  ;  and  in  proportion 
as  the  Christian  element  pervades  our  families,  in  that  pro- 
portion will  right  feeling,  true  deference,  and  high-toned  cour- 
tesy,—  for  that  is  its  real  character, — prevail  among  us.  It 
is  very  beautiful  to  see  this  royal  family  —  for  Jacob  was  a 
sheik,  or  a  prince,  or  a  king,  or  by  whatever  royal  dignity 
you  like  to  call  him  —  descending  to  show  its  true  humanity 
by  weeping  over  the  loss  of  a  faithful  and  attached  domestic. 
God  appeared  to  Jacob,  and  said,  "  Thy  name  is  Jacob, 
and  that  reminds  you  of  something  that  is  bad ;  but  thy  name 
shall  be  Israel,  that  is,  one  who  by  prayer  has  had  success 
with  God."  God  then  renewed  to  him  his  covenant ;  "  and 
Jacob,"  we  are  told,  "  set  up  a  pillar  in  the  place  where  He 
talked  with  him,  even  a  pillar  of  stone;  and  he  poured  a 
drink-oflfering  thereon,  and  he  poured  oil  thereon.  And 
Jacob  called  the  name  of  the  place  where  God  spake  with 
him,  Beth-el."  You  remember  that  the  place  is  called  in  the 
twenty-eighth  chapter  Beth-el,  and  also  Peniel,  "  for  I  have 
seen  God  face  to  face."  You  will  recollect  that  the  being 
who  wrestled  with  Jacob  is  called  an  angel ;  but  you  will 


GENESIS    XXXV.  283 

notice  in  this  place  that  this  angel  was  plainly  God ;  for 
"  Jacob  set  up  a  pillar  in  the  place  where  he,"  that  is,  God, 
"  talked  with  him  ; "  and,  therefore,  that  angel  was  not  a 
created  angel,  whom  he  worshipped  with  any  sort  of  religious 
homage,  but  God  himself ;  and  we  have  this  told  us  very  dis- 
tinctly in  one  of  the  prophets,  namely,  in  Hosea,  where  it  is 
said  that  Jacob  "  took  his  brother  by  the  heel,  and  by  his 
strength  he  had  power  with  God ;  yea,  he  had  power  over 
the  angel,  and  prevailed ;  he  wept,  and  made  supplication 
unto  him  ;  he  found  him  in  Beth-el,  and  there  he  spake  with 
us  ;  even  the  Lord  God  of  hosts,  the  Lord  is  his  memorial." 
Now,  so  says  the  prophet  Hosea,  in  the  twelfth  chapter,  that 
the  name  of  this  angel  was  the  Lord  God  of  hosts,  and  not, 
therefore,  a  created  being. 

Then  there  is  a  recapitulation  of  Jacob's  calling  the  name 
of  the  place  Beth-el.  We  then  read  of  the  loss  of  the  beloved 
Rachel.  You  remember  her  words  in  a  previous  chapter, 
"  Give  me  children,  or  I  die."  Her  wish  was  granted,  and 
her  death  was  the  result  of  the  fulfilment  of  her  wish.  It  is 
not  always  the  highest  mercy  when  God  grants  our  wishes ; 
it  is  often  the  greatest  mercy  when  he  withholds  them.  We 
know  not  what  is  good  for  us.  When  we  ask  in  the  language 
of  remonstrance  and  complaint,  repining  or  disappointment, 
and  obtain,  we  never  obtain  a  blessing  with  what  we  ask. 
"  Thy  will  be  done,"  is  our  best  prayer.  Bachel  called  the 
name  of  her  child  Benoni,  "  the  son  of  my  sorrow ; "  but 
Jacob,  lest  the  dark  shadow  of  the  death  of  the  departed 
Bachel,  and  the  deep  distress  that  he  felt  for  the  loss  of  one 
for  whom  he  served  seven  years,  and  so  loved,  should  be  per- 
petuated, as  a  presence  ever  sad  and  sorrowful,  by  the  name 
of  his  son,  changed  his  name  from  Benoni,  which  his  mother 
had  given  him  as  expressive  of  her  sorrow,  and  called  him 
Benjamin,  "  the  son  of  my  right  hand,"  —  that  is,  who  shall  be 
a  joy  and  a  support  to  me,  —  evidently  a  change  of  name  to 
24^ 


284  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

dissociate  and  detach  the  growing  son  from  the  painful  and 
melancholy  history  of  his  birth.  "Rachel  died,  and  was 
buried  in  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which  is  Beth-lehem.  And 
Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon  her  grave ; "  a  monument  to  com- 
memorate one  he  so  loved,  for  whom  he  so  sacrificed,  and 
whose  sufferings  for  him  were  so  great,  and  whose  sins  were 
forgiven  while  recorded,  and  whose  excellences  are  still  per- 
petuated for  the  instruction  of  the  daughters  of  Israel. 

We  read,  also,  of  the  death  of  Isaac  in  the  twenty-ninth 
yerse,  —  "  Isaac,"  that  is,  the  father  of  Jacob,  "  gave  up  the 
ghost."  It  is  very  singular  that  we  read  so  little  of  Isaac  in 
after  years.  He  seems  to  have  become  blind  long  before  this,- 
to  have  been  detached  almost  from  all  intercourse  with  the 
world,  and  to  have  spent  his  declining  years  in  perfect  soli- 
tude, or  in  domestic  quiet.  "  He  was  gathered  unto  his  peo- 
ple, being  old  and  full  of  days ; "  and  it  is  recorded  here,  sim- 
ilarly to  another  case  on  which  we  commented  on  a  previous 
occasion,  that  Esau  and  Jacob  buried  him ;  the  two  brothers, 
who  quarrelled  while  their  father  lived,  gathered  together 
round  his  dead  dust,  and  quenched  all  their  enmities  and  ani- 
mosities in  a  flood  of  tears,  as  they  bore  his  gray  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave. 


CHAPTER    XXXYI. 

ESAU  AND   THE  DUKES   OF   EDOM. 

This  chapter  is  a  minute  account  of  the  descendants  of 
Esau.  It  is  the  inspired  proof  of  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy. 
Esau  enjoys  the  temporal  prosperity  which  was  promised, 
while  his  brother  was  in  this  respect  far  less  favored.  This 
is  the  closing  description  of  Esau  and  his,  in  any  other  char- 
acter than  as  enemies  to  the  people  of  God.  In  this  life 
Esau  enjoyed  his  good  things.  The  wealth  of  Esau  led  to 
Jacob's  separation  from  him,  and  so  far  aided  the  fulfilment 
of  God's  promises.  There  is  nothing  in  the  chapter  specially 
instructive  to  the  ordinary  reader.  It  is  a  genealogical  list 
of  great  value  in  its  own  department.  It  forms  an  important 
part  of  Christian  evidence.  Portions  of  Scripture  personally 
uninstructive  are  yet  in  another  department  of  indispensable 
value.  Edom  is  here  the  name  given  to  Esau,  that  is,  "  Eed," 
denoting  his  sanguinary  disposition,  and  it  describes  the  char- 
acter of  his  descendants,  and  their  conduct  toward  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel.  The  Duke  of  Edom  was  the  Dux  of  the 
Romans,  and  the  Emir  of  the  East  in  the  present  day.  The 
Edomites  lived  under  a  patriarchal  form  of  government. 

The  descendants  of  prosperous  Esau  sank  into  obscurity, 
and  soon  perished  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  descend- 
ants of  Jacob  still  live  in  every  land  —  disowned  but  death- 
less. Names  are  recorded  here  which  are  still  read,  but  not 
loved. 

Let  our  names,  0,  Lord,  be  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Life, 
for  Christ's  sake ! 


CHAPTER    XXXYII. 

JOSEPH HATED   OF   HIS    BRETHKEN HIS    TWO    DREAMS VISITS    HIS 

BRETHREN — THEY   CONSPIRE   HIS    DEATH REUBEN    SAVETH    HIM 

THEY   SELL   HIM   TO    THE    ISH5IAELITES. 

Busii,  in  his  notes,  remarks  on  this  chapter,  "We  here 
enter  upon  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  interesting  por^ 
tions  of  the  whole  mass  of  sacred  history.  The  life  and 
fortunes  of  Joseph,  embracing,  with  the  exception  of  two 
chapters,  the  residue  of  the  book  of  Genesis,  or  about  one 
tenth  of  the  whole,  form  a  story  of  unrivalled  attraction, 
whether  we  consider  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  the  narra- 
tive, the  touching  pathos  of  the  events  related,  or  the  vastly 
important  moral  lessons  which  it  teaches.  Viewed  as  an 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  a  particular  Providence,  bring- 
ing to  pass  the  grandest  results  from  the  most  apparently 
trivial  events,  nothing  can  be  more  significant  or  striking. 
It  has  all  the  efi"ects  of  a  pictorial  delineation.  While  the 
recital  flows  on  with  all  the  charm  of  a  highly-wrought  tale 
of  fiction,  we  are  still  assured  of  the  truth  and  reality  of 
every  incident,  and  feel  that  we  are  contemplating  an  epitome 
of  the  dispensations  of  that  overruling  Power,  which  is  '  won- 
derful in  counsel,  and  mighty  in  operation  ; '  which  controls 
the  free  and  voluntary  action  of  intelligent  creatures,  even 
when  prompted  by  a  spirit  of  malevolence  and  rebellion,  so 
as  to  render  them  subservient  to  the  accomplishment  of  those 
very  plans  which  they  are  intent  upon  defeating,  while  the 
guilt  of  the  agents  remains  resting  upon  them  in  all  its  una- 
bated aggravations.     But  while  this  is,  doubtless,  the  most 


GENESIS  XXXVII.  287 

important  aspect  in  which  the  history  of  Joseph  is  to  be 
viewed,  it  is  still  worth  while  to  observe,  that,  merely  as  a 
human  composition,  as  a  specimen  of  simple,  graceful,  elo- 
quent, and  pathetic  narrative,  it  is  universally  conceded  that 
it  has  no  parallel.  We  find  in  it  all  that  gives  beauty  to 
the  finest  drama;  a  perfect  unity  of  design,  a  richness  and 
variety  of  incident,  involving  the  plot  in  obscurity,  yet  grad- 
ually drawing  to  its  intended  development,  and  the  whole 
issuing  happily,  rewarding  preeminent  virtue  with  appropri- 
ate honors  and  blessings,  and  visiting  iniquity  with  deserved 
humiliation  and  punishment.  It  is  a  story  which  persons  of 
all  ages,  and  minds  of  all  orders,  peruse  with  equal  interest ; 
and  the  degree  of  secret  moral  influence  which  the  spotless 
example  of  Joseph  has  exercised  upon  countless  numbers  of 
the  readers  of  the  Scriptures,  can  never  be  appreciated  till 
the  day  of  the  revelation  of  all  things.  We  behold  in  him 
one  who,  in  every  period  of  life,  in  every  change  of  condition, 
in  every  variety  of  relation,  secures  our  confidence,  our  re- 
spect, our  love.  In  adversity  we  see  him  evincing  the  most 
exemplary  patience  and  resignation ;  in  temptation,  the  most 
inflexible  firmness;  in  exaltation,  the  most  unaff'ected  sim- 
plicity, integi'ity,  gentleness,  and  humility.  Whether  as  a 
son,  a  brother,  a  servant,  a  father,  a  master,  a  ruler,  we  be- 
hold him  exhibiting  a  deportment  equally  amiable  and  praise- 
worthy ;  and  the  respect  which  we  entertain  for  the  sagacity 
of  the  statesman  and  the  penetration  of  the  prophet,  mingles 
with  our  profound  admiration  of  the  purity  of  the  saint.  But 
we  leave  it  to  the  sequel  to  disclose,  in  all  their  richness, 
these  interesting  traits  of  biography  and  history." 

The  beginning  of  this  chapter  is  an  account  of  Jacob 
dwelling  in  the  land  in  which  his  father  was  only  a  stranger, 
and  was  able  to  pass  through.  There  is  here  given  an  ac- 
count, not  of  his  past  generations,  in  the  sense  of  his  fore- 
fathers, but  of  his  children  or  descendants,  and  of  the  events 


288  8CEIPTURE  READINGS. 

which  befell  those  children  in  the  course  of  the  history  that 
immediately  follows.  As  the  most  prominent,  as  well  as  the 
most  excellent  of  all  his  sons  was  Joseph,  his  history  is  given 
at  greatest  length,  and  his  portrait  sketched  with  the  greatest 
minuteness.     This  biography  is  intensely  interesting. 

It  begins  by  stating  the  fact,  that  "  Joseph  brought  unto 
his  father  the  evil  report  of  his  brethren."  We  cannot  sup- 
pose that  this  was  a  reprehensible  habit  of  bringing  little 
tales  of  little  doings  to  his  father,  but  that  the  brethren  of 
Joseph,  whose  whole  history  indicates  the  truth  of  what  I 
suppose  now  to  have  been  their  character,  lived  in  the  prac- 
tice of  gross  and  scandalous  sin,  and  that  Joseph,  having  a 
purer  taste,  a  loftier  nature,  and  Christian  principle,  to  regu- 
late and  guide  him,  brought  to  his  father,  what  must  have 
pained  him,  but  what  was  needful  for  their  correction,  and 
for  his  safety,  an  account  of  their  crimes  and  their  miscon- 
duct, in  order  that  the  consequences  might,  if  possible,  be 
averted,  and  they  influenced  for  the  better. 

"We  read,  next,  that  "  Israel  loved  Joseph  more  than  all 
his  children,  because  he  was  the  son  of  his  old  age."  The 
expression  here  translated  *'  old  age  "  is  supposed  to  be  used, 
not  in  its  strict  and  literal,  but  in  a  fio;urative  sense.  "  A^e  " 
is  generally  synonymous,  in  Old  Testament  Scripture,  and  in 
patriarchal  times,  with  "wisdom,"  and  "the  son  of  old  age" 
is  an  expression  occasionally  used  to  denote  a  wise  and  an  ac- 
complished son.  That  there  is  reason  for  this  interpretation 
is  obvious  from  the  fact  that  Benjamin  was  also  the  son  of 
Jacob's  old  age,  and  the  son  of  llachel,  the  same  beloved 
mother ;  and,  therefore,  that  Joseph  being  the  literal  son  of 
his  old  age,  could  not  be  a  reason  for  that  distinguished  afiec- 
tion  which  was  bestowed  upon  him,  and  not  upon  Benjamin. 
We  must,  therefore,  suppose  that  the  phrase  "  the  son  of  his 
old  age  "  is  meant  figuratively  to  convey  that  Joseph  was  a 
son  of  extraordinary  wisdom,  indicating  precocious  talent  and 


GENESIS   XXX YII.  289 

remarkable  piety,  and,  therefore,  that  he  naturally  caught  the 
attention,  and  engaged  the  special  aflfection,  of  his  aged  father 
Israel. 

But,  whilst  it  was  natural  for  the  father  to  love  the  son 
for  his  great  piety,  it  was  indiscreet  in  that  father  to  show 
that  he  entertained  that  peculiar  affection  for  him,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  rest  of  his  family.  It  is  generally  the  case,  that, 
when  parents  show,  not  false,  but  excessive,  love  to  one  child, 
the  rest  of  the  children  become  jealous  of  that  affection,  and 
feel  towards  the  child,  who  is  peculiarly  beloved,  animosities 
that  ought  not  to  be  cherished  in  the  bosoms  of  brethren. 
The  father,  Israel,  or  Jacob,  might  have  loved  Joseph  pecu- 
liarly,—  which  he  could  not  help,  —  but  he  ought  to  have 
suppressed  the  manifestation  of  that  excessive  love  as  far  as 
he  could.  Instead  of  that,  Israel,  or  Jacob,  evidently  acted 
most  imprudently  when  he  gave  to  the  son  whom  he  loved 
most,  a  distinctive  badge  or  mark  of  that  affection,  called  in 
this  passage  "  a  coat  of  many  colors."  "  He  made  him,"  it  is 
said,  "  a  coat  of  many  colors."  It  is  doubtful  if  the  word 
"colors"  be  the  exact  rendering  of  the  original.  It  is 
translated  in  other  portions  of  Scripture  "  pieces."  We  do 
not  know  whether  dyeing  was  then  known,  or  whether  varie- 
ties of  color  given  to  cloth  were  yet  common.  Probably,  all 
that  is  meant  here  is,  that  Jacob  made  him  a  coat  of  many 
pieces,  —  for  that  would  be  the  strict  and  literal  translation, 
—  as  a  mark  of  love ;  and  thus,  it  would  not  mean  a  coat  of 
variegated  colors,  but  a  coat  made  of  choice  pieces  of  cloth, 
which  we  can  understand  to  have  been  a  very  precious  thing ; 
whereas,  a  coat  of  many  colors  would  not  seem  to  have  any 
real  beauty ;  it  would  rather  be  grotesque  than  otherwise. 

We  then  read  that  his  brethren,  seeing — just  as  might 
have  been  expected  —  the  excessive  partiality  that  Jacob 
showed  to  his  son,  envied  him,  and  hated  him  only  the  more, 
"and   could   not  even   speak  peaceably  unto   him."      The 


290  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

natural  tendency,  in  every  age,  of  excessive  partiality  shown 
to  one  child,  has  been  to  produce  jealousy  and  envy  in  the 
minds  of  the  others ;  and,  in  this  case,  that  jealousy  and  envy 
rose  to  such  a  pitch,  that  not  only  did  they  not  love  Joseph, 
but  they  could  not  pay  him  the  ordinary  compliments  of  cour- 
tesy—  "  they  could  not  speak  peaceably  unto  him."  And 
if  Jacob  had  reflected,  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  he  would 
have  seen  that,  having  children  of  diflferent  mothers,  the  pros- 
pect of  mutual  animosity  and  jealousy  would  be  much  more 
likely,  if  he  showed  any  discriminating  partiality  to  one  more 
than  to  another. 

"We  read,  then,  that  "Joseph  dreamed  a  dream,"  in  which 
he  saw  his  sheaf  arise,  and  the  sheaves  of  his  brethren  "  stood 
round  about,  and  made  obeisance  to  his  sheaf; "  and  also 
another  dream,  in  which  he  saw  "  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and 
the  eleven  stars,"  make  obeisance  to  him.  Both  of  these 
dreams  had  the  obvious  interpretation,  that  his  brethren,  his 
father  and  all  his  relatives,  should  one  day  give  deference, 
and  make  obeisance  to  him ;  in  other  words,  that  he  should 
be  exalted  to  some  lofty  distinction  or  honor,  and  that  they, 
like  subjects,  should  pay  the  marks  and  expressions  of  fealty 
and  subjection  to  him. 

Now  Joseph,  I  think,  did  wrong  in  telling  them  his  dreams, 
unless  he  was  commanded  by  God  to  do  so.  Nobody  likes  to 
be  told  beforehand  that  they  will  be  subject  to  one  who  is 
their  younger,  and  their  inferior ;  and,  if  it  was  not  his  duty 
to  tell  his  dreams,  certainly  it  was  not  expedient  to  do  so. 
As  it  was,  they  added  to  and  aggravated  that  feeling  of  envy, 
discontent  and  dissatisfaction,  which  his  brethren  nursed,  and 
which  began  to  gain  great  power  in  their  hearts  and  conduct. 
\Vc  read,  that  while  "  his  brethren  envied  him,  his  father 
observed  the  saying,"  and  evidently  understood  that  the  dream 
was  not  a  random  guess,  or  a  mere  fanciful  conjecture,  but  an 
inspiration  from  on  high. 


GENESIS   XXXVII.  291 

Some  are  still  of  opinion  that  God  does  speak  to  man  by 
dreams.  I  do  not  see  that  there  is  anything  improbable, 
certainly  one  does  not  see  that  there  is  anything  impossible, 
in  that ;  and  when  one  knows  that  in  sleep  the  physical  pow- 
ers are  laid  prostrate  by  being  steeped,  as  it  were,  in  stupor, 
one  can  conceive  that  the  mind  is  more  unfettered,  more  dis- 
entangled of  its  physical  and  material  ties  and  restraints,  and 
is  in  a  state  to  hold  communion  more  perfectly  with  the 
unseen,  the  heavenly  and  the  eternal.  In  these,  its  best 
states,  God  may  speak  to  it.  And  this,  perhaps,  may  explain 
a  great  deal  of  the  reputed  eflfects  of  what  is  called  mesmer- 
ism. I  can  understand  that,  through  that  influence,  —  which 
is  a  plain  matter  of  fact,  —  the  operator  may  so  lay,  or  pros- 
trate, or  subdue  the  physical  powers,  that  the  inner  inhab- 
itant shall  be  less  obstructed  and  shackled  by  the  material 
organism  around  it ;  and  that,  so  unshackled  and  unfettered, 
it  may  see  further,  comprehend  and  better  understand,  than 
in  ordinary  circumstances.  Who  does  not  know  that  he  has 
had  brighter  thoughts  at  midnight,  in  a  dream,  that  in  his 
waking  hours  ?  I  know  that  I  have  composed  better  speeches 
and  better  addresses  in  dreams  than  ever  I  did  when  I  was 
awake.  I  know  that  I  have  had  clear  apprehensions  of  things 
and  thoughts  during  sleep,  which  I  would  like  to  have  commit- 
ted to  paper.    And  you  know  the  same :  it  is  nothing  peculiar. 

It  does,  therefore,  seem  that  the  mind  is  more  unfettered, 
more  disentangled  from  earthly  and  material  restraints  in 
sleep,  and  that  it  may  then  see,  and  God  reveal,  divine  things 
more  clearly ;  and  there  is  nothing  impossible,  nor  improba- 
ble, in  supposing  that  God  holds  communion  directly  with 
mind,  and  conveys  his  truths  and  his  purposes  to  it,  when, 
where,  and  how  he  pleases.  The  only  danger  would  be,  if 
you  were  to  take  your  dreams  and  act  upon  them,  in  spite  of 
God's  written  word.  We  must  never  forget  that  we  must 
bring  the  dream  to  the  Scripture,  not  the  Scripture  to  the 
26 


292  -     SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

dream ;  and  if  Scripture  condemn  -what  the  dream  dictates, 
dismiss  the  dream,  for  it  is  not  from  God ;  if  Scripture  sus- 
tain, warrant  and  authorize  what  the  dream  indicates,  it  is  a 
providential  admonition  from  on  high,  and  you  should  act 
upon  it  accordingly.  In  these  patriarchal  days,  however, 
dreams,  in  the  absence  of  a  written  revelation,  were  the  usual 
vehicles  of  divine  instruction ;  and  hence  the  apostle  says, 
**  God,  who  at  sundry  times,"  —  that  is,  in  the  patriarchal 
and  antediluvian  times,  —  "  and  in  divers  manners,"  —  dreams 
was  one  of  them,  —  "  spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by 
the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his 
Son." 

When  Joseph  came  to  his  brethren,  we  find  that  their  very 
first  feelings  entertained  towards  him  were  very  diflerent  from 
what  he  had  reason  to  expect,  or  what  his  brethren  owed. 
He  thought  he  was  going  to  brothers  :  he  found  that  he  was 
approaching  fratricides.  Their  animosity  in  secret  had 
grown  to  such  a  height  and  strength,  that  their  first  impulse 
was  to  kill  him.  "  They  said  one  to  another.  Behold,  this 
dreamer  cometh ; "  and,  therefore,  when  he  came,  they  were 
prepared,  and  ready  (at  least  the  majority  of  them)  to  kill 
him.  He  was  sent  by  his  father  to  serve  them,  but  instead 
of  welcoming,  they  received  him  in  a  way  that  brothers 
should  not  receive  a  brother.  One,  however,  more  tender 
and  feeling  than  the  rest,  that  is,  lleuben,  heard  it,  and  he 
•'  delivered  him  out  of  their  hands  ;  "  that  is,  he  attempted  to 
do  so,  «'  and  said,  Let  us  not  kill  him,  shed  no  blood,  but  cast 
him  into  this  pit  that  is  in  the  wilderness."  And  it  is  evi- 
dent that  he  did  not  mean  or  wish  that  he  should  pine  away 
or  die  in  the  pit,  but  he  thought  that  he  should  have  some 
unknown  and  quiet  opportunity  of  taking  him  out,  and  restor- 
ing him  to  his  father  ;  for  we  read,  in  the  twenty-ninth  verse, 
that  "  lleuben  returned  unto  the  pit;  and  behold  Joseph  was 
not  in  the  pit ;  and  he  rent  his  clothes.     And  he  returned 


GENESIS   XXXVIII.  293 

unto  his  brethren,  and  said,  The  child  is  not ;  and  I,  whither 
shall  I  go  ?  "  which  shows  that  Reuben  meant  in  the  end  to 
deliver  Joseph ;  but  he  was  greatly  guilty,  for  he  voted  with 
the  majority  in  getting  rid  of  him  for  the  present.  His  con- 
duct was  criminal,  yet  his  heart  was  more  sensitive  than  the 
hearts  of  his  brethren. 

"  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Joseph  was  come  unto  his 
brethren,  that  they  stript  Joseph  out  of  his  coat,  his  coat  of 
many  colors,"  —  or  of  many  pieces,  —  "that  was  on  him; 
and  they  took  him  and  cast  him  into  a  pit ;  and  the  pit  was 
empty,  there  was  no  water  in  it.  And  they  sat  down  to  eat 
bread ;  and  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  and  looked,  and  behold 
a  company  of  Ishmaelites  came  from  Gilead,  with  their  cam- 
els, bearing  spicery,  and  balm,  and  myrrh,  going  to  carry 
it  down  to  Egypt.  And  Judah  said  unto  his  brethren.  What 
profit  is  it  if  we  slay  our  brother,  and  conceal  his  blood  ? 
Come,  and  let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites."  He  thought 
that  would  be  a  better  way  than  killing  him.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve this  was  tenderness  on  the  part  of  Judah,  but  that  he 
was  anxious  to  make  the  most  he  could  by  Joseph.  He 
therefore  resolved  not  to  kill  him,  which  would  be  the  most 
cruel,  and  what  he  thought  was  the  least  profitable  way  ;  and, 
like  a  genuine  merchant  or  tradesman,  over-covetous,  he  was 
ready  and  anxious  to  make  the  greatest  profit  or  largest  per- 
centage, as  well  as  to  get  rid  of  a  disturber  he  hated ;  and 
therefore  he  said,  "  Sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites ;  "  and  they 
did  so,  and  received  twenty  pieces  of  silver,  and  the  Ishmael- 
ites took  Joseph  into  Egypt. 

We  then  read  how,  when  one  commits  one  sin,  by  a  law 
lasting  as  the  stars,  one  must  commit  another  to  hide  it.  No 
man  commits  only  one  sin,  when  he  sins  at  all.  It  needs  ad- 
ditional ones,  in  order  to  conceal  a  previous  one,  or  to  ren- 
der void  or  arrest  the  consequences  of  it.  These  brethren, 
having  got  rid  of  Joseph,  whom  they  did  not  murder,  but 


294  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

sold  to  the  Ishmaelite  merchants,  killed  a  kid,  and  dipped 
Joseph's  distinctive  coat  in  its  blood,  and  sent  it  to  their 
father,  and  assured  him,  by  the  use  of  the  most  infamous  lie, 
and  with  a  cruelty  that  one  can  find  no  expression  strong 
enough  to  embody,  that  they  had  found  the  coat,  "wishing  him 
.to  believe,  that,  in  their  efforts  to  rescue  Joseph  from  the 
fangs  of  a  wild  beast,  the  coat  was  all  they  could  secure. 
But  it  is  evident  that  the  very  bringing  the  coat  to  the  patri- 
arch might  have  raised  the  aged  father's  suspicions ;  because, 
if  the  thing  were  really  as  they  said,  there  would  have  been 
needed  no  strong  corroborative  proofs.  A  person  who  is 
conscious  that  he  is  speaking  truth,  does  not  generally  sup- 
port it  by  oaths,  or  strong  statements,  or  elaborate  proofs, 
because  the  deep  consciousness  within,  that  he  is  uttering 
truth,  makes  him  feel  that  such  support  is  not  necessary  or 
expected ;  but  when  any  man  uses  oaths,  as  the  world  does, 
or  even  strong  asseverations,  as,  sometimes,  we  all  do  too 
much,  it  looks  as  if  there  was  a  consciousness  of  the  want  of 
truth,  and  an  anxiety  to  make  up  for  it  by  loud  asseverations. 
The  poor  patriarch,  we  read,  was  deeply  distressed  — 
almost  reduced  to  despair ;  for  he  said  he  would  go  down 
into  the  grave  mourning.  But  the  issue  was  very  different 
from  what  he  anticipated,  as  the  sequel  will  show.  Man 
plans  :  God  reigns  and  rules. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

FAMILY   HISTOKT   OF   JUDAH  —  TAMAR   DECEIVETH   JUDAH. 

I  EXTRACT,  from  the  very  valuable  notes  of  Bush,  the  fol- 
lowing elucidations.  In  this  chapter,  which  arrests  for  a  lit- 
tle the  history  of  Joseph,  Bush  says,  there  is  much  peculiarly 
sad  and  sinful. 

"  The  story  of  Joseph  is  interrupted  at  this  point,  for  the 
purpose  of  introducing  some  particulars  in  the  family  history 
of  Judah,  which  are  mainly  important  as  having  a  bearing 
on  the  genealogy  of  our  Lord.  The  Saviour  was  to  derive 
his  origin  from  the  tribe  of  Judah,  and  the  Spirit  of  inspira- 
tion sees  fit  to  afford  us  the  means  of  most  exactly  authenti- 
cating his  human  extraction,  even  though  some  links  in  the 
chain  were  far  from  being  of  a  reputable  character.  But  we 
learn  from  this  that  Christ  derives  all  his  glory  from  him- 
self, and  not  from  his  ancestry,  and  that  his  condescension  ia 
the  more  to  be  admired  the  lower  he  descended  in  the  scale 
of  worldly  honor,  in  taking  our  nature  upon  him. 

"  Verse  1.  '  It  came  to  pass  at  that  time.'  That  is,  not  at 
or  about  the  time  of  Joseph's  being  sold  into  Egypt,  but  in  a 
larger  sense,  in  the  interval  between  Jacob's  return  from 
Mesopotamia,  and  the  events  recorded  in  the  foregoing  chap- 
ter. For  it  appears,  on  examining  the  age  of  Joseph,  as 
shown  in  different  passages  of  the  history,  that  he  was  about 
thirty -nine  years  old  when  Jacob  and  his  family  went  down 
into  Egypt.  And  it  is  stated  (Gen.  46 :  8 — 12)  that  Pharez, 
the  son  of  Judah,  whose  birth  is  mentioned  at  the  end  of 
25^ 


296  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

this  chapter,  had  at  that  time  two  sons  born  to  him,  Hezron 
and  Hamul.  But,  as  Joseph  was  seventeen  when  he  was 
sold  into  Egypt,  this  leaves  only  the  space  of  twenty-one 
years  for  Judah  to  beget  three  sons,  to  have  them  grow  up 
and  be  married,  and  their  wife,  Tamar,  to  have  sons  and 
grandsons.  This  period  is  evidently  too  short  for  the  occur- 
rence of  all  these  events,  and  we  are  therefore  necessitated  to 
refer  the  commencement  of  them  at  least  as  far  back  as  to 
about  the  time  of  Jacob's  coming  to  Shechem  (Glen.  33  :  18) ; 
but  the  incidents  are  related  here,  because  there  was  no  more 
convenient  place  for  them.  In  like  manner,  according  to 
Aben-Ezra,  the  phrase  '  at  that  time '  (Deut.  10 :  8)  is  used 
in  the  same  large  and  indefinite  sense ;  for  the  historian  hav- 
ing mentioned  (verse  7)  that  they  came  to  Gudgodah,  goes 
on  to  say,  that  '  at  that  time  the  Lord  separated  the  tribe  of 
Levi,  to  bear  the  ark  of  the  covenant,'  whereas  it  appears 
elsewhere  that  this  separation  took  place  on  the  second  year 
from  their  coming  out  of  Egypt,  which  was  forty  years  before 
their  arrival  at  Gudgodah.  Le  Clerc  also  remarks,  that 
several  instances  occur,  in  the  New  Testament,  where  the 
phrases  '  then,'  '  in  those  days,'  '  at  that  time,'  must  be  taken 
with  very  considerable  latitude  of  meaning.  Apparent  difl&- 
culties  and  discrepancies  of  this  nature  arise  of  necessity  from 
the  very  structure  of  the  Mosaic  books,  which  are  by  no 
means  a  systematically  connected  Miistory  of  the  world  from 
the  creation  to  the  times  of  Moses  himself;  but  rather  a 
series  of  detached  accounts,  with  one  grand  bond  of  connec- 
tion running  through  them  all,  namely,  their  relation  to  the 
chosen  seed  and  the  promised  Messiah.  Whatever  is  written, 
we  may  assure  ourselves  is  true,  and  might,  no  doubt,  be 
shown  to  be  perfectly  consistent,  were  we  sufficiently  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  circumstances. 

"  Verse  25.     '  By  the  man  whose  these  are,'  &c.     It  is  ob- 
vious that  Tamar  might  before  this  have  exposed  Judah,  had 


GENESIS  XXXVIII.  297 

she  been  so  inclined.  But  she  defers  it,  probably  under  a 
secret  prompting  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  till  matters  come  to  a 
crisis  when  she  can  make  the  disclosure  to  the  most  eflfect. 
In  this,  however,  it  does  not  appear  that  she  was  influenced 
by  vindictive  feelings  toward  Judah,  or  that  she  had  any 
wish  to  hold  him  up  to  public  abhorrence,  but  simply  to  vin- 
dicate her  own  conduct ;  while  God,  in  the  mean  time,  was 
carrying  on  his  purpose  to  bring  the  offender,  by  this  means, 
to  a  penitent  confession  of  his  fault.  In  fact,  Tamar  appears 
to  have  managed  the  affair  with  great  delicacy.  Instead  of 
boldly  summoning  him  into  her  presence,  and  requiring  of 
him  to  stand  forth  as  her  accuser  before  the  judges,  she  does 
not  even  name  him,  nor  seek  an  interview,  but  sends  to  him 
the  pledged  articles,  leaving  it  to  his  own  conscience  to 
rebuke  him  before  God.  It  is  well  when  injured  innocence 
can  rest  satisfied  with  the  vindication  of  itself,  without  pur- 
suing the  offending  party  to  the  extreme  point  of  justice  or 
revenge.  In  many  cases  much  may  be  left  to  the  inward, 
self-inflicted  corrections  of  an  ingenuous  mind. 

"  Yerse  26.  '  Judah  acknowledged  them,  and  said,'  &c. 
Heb.  ^S'l,  yakker,  knew,  discerned,  recognized ;  the  same 
word  in  the  original  with  that  which  occurs  above  (verse  25), 
and  is  rendered  ♦  discern.' 

"  '  She  hath  been  more  righteous  than  I ; '  that  is,  less 
culpable.  The  conduct  of  neither  had  much  to  commend  it 
on  the  score  of  righteousness,  nor  does  he,  perhaps,  intend  to 
say  that  she  had  in  this  matter  committed  a  less  sin  than 
himself,  but  that  his  wrong-doing  in  another  instance  had 
heen  the  occasion  of  hers  at  this  time.  This  fact  gave  her 
the  advantage;  it  attached  more  blame  to  his  conduct,  in 
common  estimation,  however  it  might  be  in  the  sight  of  God, 
than  to  hers.  He  had  broken  his  word  to  her,  but  she  had 
kept  her  faith  with  him,  living  patiently,  in  a  state  of  widow- 
hood, year  after  year,  till  she  saw  no  prospect  of  her  hopes 


298  BCRIPl'URE    RKADINGS. 

being  realized.  '  God  will  find  a  time  to  bring  his  children 
on  their  knees,  and  to  wring  from  them  penitent  confessions  ; 
and  rather  than  he  will  not  have  them  soundly  ashamed,  he 
will  make  them  the  trumpets  of  their  own  reproach.' — Bishop 
Hall. 

"  '  He  knew  her  again  no  more.'  This  seems  to  be  inserted 
as  a  sort  of  seal  and  assurance  of  the  sincerity  of  Judah's 
repentance.  A  genuine  sorrow  for  sin  is  inconsistent  with 
again  relapsing  into  it." 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

FORCE    OF    CHARACTER  —  THE    GODLY   ARE    BLESSINGS  —  A   BAD  WOMAN 
JOSEPH   PUNISHED CHRISTIANITY   IN   A   PRISON. 

In  a  previons  chapter  we  read,  in  pure  and  holy  language, 
of  the  sin  of  Judah ;  and  in  this  chapter  there  is  presented  a 
beautiful  contrast  in  the  persistent  and  Christian  character 
and  victorious  virtue  of  Joseph.  Recollect,  in  studying  this 
chapter,  that  he  was  sold  a  slave  into  Egypt.  Though  ex- 
alted to  honor  in  the  house  of  Potiphar,  an  officer  of  Pharaoh, 
he  was  still  a  slave ;  an  exalted  and  dignified  slave,  but  still 
a  slave  purchased  by  Pharaoh's  officer,  and  liable  to  be  sold 
by  him,  when  it  suited  his  convenience,  again.  It  shows, 
therefore,  what  excellence  must  have  been  inherent  in  his 
conduct,  when  in  the  worst,  or  least  propitious,  of  circum- 
stances, that  excellence  could  break  forth,  and  his  character 
and  conduct  so  commend  him  to  the  approbation  of  his  mas- 
ter, that  he  was  exalted  to  the  highest  and  most  influential 
position  in  all  the  household  and  kingdom  of  Pharaoh.  Such 
is  the  force  of  real  and  intrinsic  worth  ! 

We  read,  too,  that  the  whole  house  of  Potiphar  was  blessed 
for  Joseph's  sake.  Here,  then,  is  proof,  and  it  is  not  a  soli- 
tary one,  for  it  is  repeated  often  in  Scripture,  that  a  good 
man  in  a  household,  in  a  kingdom,  in  a  province,  in  a  court, 
proves  a  blessing  to  it ;  conducting  away  judgments,  and  con- 
ducting down  blessings.  AYe  know  not  how  often  the  few 
and  the  far-between  good  men  that  pray,  and  serve  God  in 
secret,  may  have  warded  ojQf  the  judgment  that  our  nation  has 
deserved,  and  drawn  down  the  blessings  that  we  had  justly 


300  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

forfeited.  Sodom  was  spared  whilst  a  Lot  was  in  it ;  Jeru- 
salem was  safe  whilst  the  Christians  were  in  it ;  and  only 
after  Lot  had  escaped  from  Sodom,  and  the  Christians  had 
fled  from  Jerusalem  to  Pella,  did  the  judgments  of  God 
descend,  overwhelm  and  bury  these  guilty  capitals.  How 
desirable,  then,  it  is  that  Christian  men  should  be  everywhere 
in  social  life  !  How  important  that  they  should  command 
our  armies,  and  be  at  the  head  of  our  navies ;  that  they 
should  be  in  royal  courts,  and  similar  high  places ;  that,  wher- 
ever there  is  an  element  of  power,  there  there  should  be  a 
Christian  heart  to  love  it,  and  a  Christian  hand  to  wield  it ! 
So  God  will  bless  courts,  nations  and  kingdoms,  for  the  sake 
of  the  Josephs,  or  the  good  men,  that  are  in  them. 

How  beautiful  was  that  exclamation  of  Joseph,  on  which  I 
shall  address  you  afterwards  :  "  How  can  I  do  this  great  wick- 
edness, and  sin  against  God?"  What  an  overwhelming 
incentive  to  good  is  in  that  deep  conviction !  what  a  powerful 
preventive  of  evil ! 

We  have  here  a  picture,  purely  but  truly  drawn,  of  the 
profligacy  of  the  wife  of  Potiphar ;  not,  I  fear,  solitary  in  the 
world's  history.  When  an  angel  falls,  that  angel  becomes  a 
fiend.  Corruptio  optimi  pessima,  is  a  proverb  well  known  to 
the  readers  of  ancient  writers  —  the  corruption  of  the  best 
thing  is  always  the  worst.  When  a  man  falls,  he  becomes 
bad  enough,  God  knows ;  but  when  a  woman  falls,  she 
becomes  worst  of  all.  It  seems  as  if  the  depth  to  which  one 
falls  were  proportionate  to  the  height  on  which  the  creature 
originally  stood.  In  man,  such  seduction  is  vile  ;  in  woman, 
it  is  inexpressibly  evil.  When  Potiphar's  wife  failed  to 
seduce,  in  order  to  gratify  vile  desires,  her  impure  passions, 
ungratified,  kindled  into  fierce  and  impetuous  revenge.  She 
would  kill,  because  she  could  not  corrupt.  So  different  is 
lust  from  love  ;  and  therefore  she  speaks  in  language  that  was 
fitted  to  provoke  and  irritate  Potiphar,  in  that  when  alluding 


GENESIS   XXXIX.  301 

to  Joseph,  she  says,  "He  hath  brought  in  an  Hebrew"  — 
this  contemptible  Jew,  this  foreigner  — "  to  mock  us,  and 
turn  us  into  unutterable  contempt." 

Let  us  always  remember  that  sins  are  never  single ;  they 
follow  one  another,  or  exist  together.  The  roots  by  which 
they  cohere  may  not  be  seen  by  us,  but  real  and  actual  they 
unquestionably  are.  He  who  does  a  sin  at  first,  must  commit 
many  more  to  hide  it,  unless  from  his  lowered  position  he 
repent,  and  be  forgiven.  There  must  be  the  falsehood  to 
screen  it,  and  the  hypocrisy  to  mislead  and  deceive  those  who 
do  not  suspect  it. 

We  next  read,  that  after  Joseph's  experience  of  this  evil 
treatment,  notwithstanding  his  incorruptible  virtue,  he  was 
cast  into  prison.  Most  unjustly  so.  It  was  the  wife  of 
Potiphar  who  ought  to  have  been  in  prison  ;  but  very  often 
the  innocent  suffer  for,  and  at  the  instigation  of,  the  guilty, 
in  this  world.  If  this  were  the  dispensation  of  retribution, 
then  virtue  would  always  conquer,  and  vice  would  be  always 
punished ;  but  as  this  is  a  world  where  there  is  light  and 
darkness,  there  is  just  retribution  enough  to  show  us  that 
Grod  reigns,  but  yet  confusion  enough  to  show  us  that  this  is 
not  the  day  of  judgment ;  so  we  find  that  the  innocent  suffer 
for  a  season,  and  the  guilty  escape. 

I  can  conceive  nothing  more  painful  to  Joseph  than  to  be 
accused  of  crime  of  which  he  was  consciously  innocent,  and 
visited  with  punishment  undeserved;  and  yet  under  that 
accusation  to  conduct  himself  with  the  quiet,  silent,  beautiful 
reserve  which  he  displayed  on  this  occasion.  I  know  not 
anything  more  diflScult  to  bear  than  false  accusations,  except 
undeserved  punishment ;  and  it  needs  a  great  deal  of  grace 
to  suffer  and  be  silent ;  and  that  man  will  indeed  have  to  be 
thankful  to  God,  who  passes  through  the  world  without  some 
mud  being  flung  at  him.  But  often,  when  you  cannot  answer 
the  accusation  that  is  evil  by  a  thorough  reply,  from  want  of 


302  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

opportunity,  you  can  live  it  clown  ;  and  I  believe  one  of  the 
most  efifective  replies  to  a  calumny  is  living  down  evil ;  but 
it  needs  a  great  deal  of  grace,  a  great  deal  of  patience,  and  no 
little  magnanimity,  to  do  it.  It  is  only  a  few  heroes  in  the 
world,  or  martyr  Christians  in  the  church,  who  can  bide  their 
and  their  Father's  time.  Josc|)h  did  it.  He  said  nothing ; 
he  was  satisfied  that  there  was  a  God  who  would  right  what 
was  wrong,  and  avenge  his  reproach,  and  bring  forth  his  right- 
eousness like  the  noon-day.  He  suffered,  and  was  silent  — 
that  vivid  mark  of  the  most  exalted  Christianit3^ 

He  was  cast  into  prison,  a  supposed  criminal,  as  a  punish- 
ment he  did  not  deserve ;  but  even  there  it  was  impossibfe 
that  his  superior  and  supernatural  excellence  should  be  hid- 
den. It  was  irrepressible  everywhere ;  but  it  seems,  from 
the  gaoler  treating  Joseph  with  such  unexpected  leniency, 
and  placing  so  much  in  his  hand,  that  the  gaoler  did  not  do 
BO  of  his  own  prompting,  or  altogether  from  what  he  saw  of 
Joseph,  but  that  Potiphar  had  the  strong  impression  (as, 
indeed,  the  very  facts  of  the  case,  if  one  might  enter  into 
them  fully,  would  demonstrate)  that  Joseph  was  falsely  ac- 
cused, that  his  wife  was  the  guilty  one,  and  that  he  conveyed 
this,  his  own  impression,  to  the  gaoler ;  for  the  gaoler  acted, 
in  his  treatment  of  a  prisoner  slave,  in  a  way  that  can  only 
be  explained  upon  the  supposition  that  the  gaoler's  instruc- 
tions from  his  master  were,  to  receive  Joseph  as  a  prisoner, 
that  outward  appearances  might  be  saved,  but  to  treat  him 
as  a  friend  and  innocent  servant,  as  Josej^h  truly  and  prop- 
erly deserved;  and  so  the  gaoler  did  treat  him.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  said  that  in  prison  "  the  Lord  was  with 
Joseph,  and  gave  him  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  keeper  of  the 
prison.  And  the  keeper  of  the  prison  committed  all  to  Jo- 
seph's hand."  God  was  with  him  in  the  palace ;  God  was  with 
him  in  the  prison;  God  was  with  him  when  he  was  looked 
upon  by  Potiphar  as  all  that  was  great  and  good ;  God  was 


CHAPTER    XXXIX.  303 

with  him  when  he  was  accused  and  charged  with  the  greatest 
crime ;  God  was  with  him  when  he  was  cast  into  prison. 
Man  changes ;  God  never.  God  is  with  his  own  in  palace 
and  in  prison,  in  light  and  in  darkness ;  for  he  has  promised, 
"I  will  never  leave  thee;  I  will  never  forsake  thee."  Joseph 
was  happy  in  a  dungeon,  because  his  conscience  was  at  peace. 
His  "  feet  they  were  bound  with  fetters ;  he  was  laid  in 
irons ; "  but  his  soul  was  free,  and  it  reposed  sweetly  and 
securely  in  the  sunshine  of  the  countenance  of  God.  After 
all,  true  religion  is  peace.  Sooner  or  later  it  gives  a  satis- 
faction which  more  than  compensates  for  outward  trouble. 
26 


CHAPTEK    XL.       . 

JOSEPH   IN   miSON  —  THE   BUTLER   AXD   BAKER   SHUT  UP  "WITH  HIM  

THEIR   DREAMS THEIR   FEARS JOSEPH'S    INQUIRIES HIS    IXTER- 

PRETATIOX — FULFILMENT   OF   INTERPRETATION THE    BUTLER'S    IN- 
GRATITUDE. 

"We  have  here  anotlier  beautiful  episode  in  that  truly  inter- 
esting biography,  on  the  minute  particulars  and  facts  o"f 
which  we  have  so  recently  entered.  It  appears  that  Joseph 
was  still  in  the  dungeon  in  which  Potiphar  had  placed  him 
for  the  crime  of  which  he  was  accused  and  supposed  to  be 
guilty,  but  of  which  he  was  altogether  innocent.  It  hap- 
pened soon  afterwards  that  the  solitude  of  that  dungeon  was 
at  least  relieved  by  the  imprisonment  of  the  chief  butler  and 
chief  baker,  two  of  the  great  officers  of  the  royal  household, 
who  had  given  some  offence  to  their  master. 

The  word  here  rendered  "  butler  "  is  translated  in  Nehe- 
miah  "  cup-bearer  ; "  and  perhaps  this  is  the  just  and  proper 
translation  of  it  in  order  to  convey  what  it  meant  in  ancient 
times.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  butler  simply  to  have  the 
charge  of  the  wine-cellar,  and  to  present  the  wine  at  the  ban- 
quet, which  in  this  case  was  unintoxicating,  for  he  squeezed 
the  grapes  into  the  cup  which  he  offered  to  his  master.  This 
was  his  dignity  and  duty ;  it  was  a  responsible  office,  and 
one  which  was  very  valuable  for  its  emoluments  in  those  days. 

The  next  officer  was  the  baker,  whose  office  was  to  prepare 
the  bread  and  meats  for  his  master.  These  two  persons  were 
cast  into  prison  along  with  Joseph.  Neither  of  their  names 
are  given,  nor  are  their  crimes  specified.  The  very  silence  of 
Scripture  here  is  remarkable.     They  are  merely  introduced  as 


GENESIS  XL.  305 

facts  that  occurred  in  providential  history,  in  order  to  bring 
out  a  new  feature  in  Joseph's  character,  a  new  fact  in  Jo- 
seph's biography.  Their  names  are  of  no  value  ;  their  crimes 
might  gratify  our  curiosity,  but  could  convey  no  instruction ; 
they  are  therefore  omitted.  Often  one  has  reason  to  see  the 
inspiration  of  the  writer  in  his  silence,  even  as  we  see  it  in 
his  eloquence  or  utterance. 

We  read  that  these  two,  for  some  crime,  real  or  supposed, 
were  cast  into  prison  along  with  Joseph,  and  we  can  well  con- 
ceive how  differently  the  prison  felt  to  these  three  persons. 
The  two  criminals,  really  guilty,  felt  it  to  be  a  prison ;  but 
Joseph's  conscious  innocence  lighted  up  the  darkness  of  that 
prison  with  more  than  the  splendor  of  a  royal  palace.  It  is 
not  darkness,  nor  bars,  nor  bolts,  nor  three-feet  thick  walls, 
that  make  a  prison ;  it  is  the  prisoner's  consciousness  of  crime 
that  constitutes  a  dungeon ;  and  where  that  consciousness  of 
crime  is  not,  there,  as  in  the  case  of  Bunyan,  and  as  in  the 
case  of  saints  and  martyrs,  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy,  all  the  misery  of  a  prison  is  felt  comparatively  light. 
The  severest  pains  feel  gentle  when  there  is  a  conscience  at 
peace  with  God,  and  the  lightest  injury  feels  painful  and 
poignant  when  the  heart  is  not  right  with  him. 

These  two  heathen  men,  the  butler  or  cup-bearer,  and  the 
baker,  dreamed  dreams.  This,  one  would  suppose,  is  so  per- 
fectly natural  as  not  to  deserve  notice  ;  but  it  seems  that  the 
dreams  made  an  impression  upon  each  so  extraordinary,  that 
each  formed  the  opinion  that  it  must  be  the  symbol  or  the 
hieroglyph  of  some  extraordinary  meaning ;  it  was  the  depth 
of  the  impression  of  the  recollected  dreams  that  made  them 
so  anxious  to  ascertain  what  was  their  meaning,  for  meaning 
they  were  sure  they  had.  Their  hearts  were  depressed,  their 
countenances  were  sad ;  they  felt  that  more  was  meant  than 
met  the  eye  in  the  night  vision,  and  they  were,  therefore, 
anxious  to  understand  it. 


806  BCRIPTUBE   READINGS. 

The  dreams,  too,  convey  an  appearance  of  perfect  likeli- 
hood, the  moment  that  one  reads  the  account  of  them.  How 
very  natural  that  the  cup-bearer  should  dream  of  wine,  and 
of  presenting  it  in  a  cup  to  his  master  !  How  perfectly  likely 
that  the  baker  should  dream  of  making  bread  and  presenting 
it  to  his  master !  Generally  our  daily  duties  are  woven  into 
oui'  night  dreams ;  and  what  the  heart  has  nearest  and  closest 
to  it,  is  what  is  most  frequently  reflected  to  us  from  the  land 
of  dreams  in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night.  Although  we 
read  of  other  dreams  so  directly  the  creation  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  that  one  can  see  that  they  had  no  connection  with  the 
employment  of  the  persons,  but  were  independent  vehicles  oT 
divine  lessons  which  God  desired  to  convey. 

Joseph,  when  he  saw  them  in  the  morning  looking  so  sad, 
with  that  thorough  courtesy  which  is  ever  the  creation  of 
Christianity,  asked,  in  deep  sympathy,  and  no  doubt  with  real 
Borrow,  "  AVhy  are  you  looking  so  sad  ?  Is  there  any  service 
I  can  do  you  ?  Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for  you  ?  Let  me 
know."  These  two  saw  such  thorough  honesty  in  that  youth's 
inquiry,  that  they  at  once  had  confidence  in  him,  and  told  him 
that  they  had  each  dreamed  a  dream,  and  that  they  were  per- 
plexed by  the  desire  to  know  the  meaning  of  it.  You  say, 
Why  so  perplexed  ?  I  will  tell  you.  The  unknown  is  always 
most  feared.  When  we  know  the  worst,  we  can,  as  it  were, 
prepare  ourselves  to  meet  and  master  it.  But  when  the  un- 
known is  before  us,  our  own  consciences  not  at  ease,  and  our 
own  imaginations  ever  ready  to  fancy  where  there  is  no  fact 
to  guide  it,  and  no  footing  for  it  to  move  on,  expect  that  all 
will  be  disaster,  because  all  is  unknown.  An  unknown  God 
is  ever  a  God  feared.  It  was  to  the  unknown  God  that  the 
altar  for  the  worst  sacrifices  was  erected  of  old. 

Joseph  presented  himself  as  the  interpreter  of  these  dreams, 
not  on  account  of  any  wisdom,  or  peculiar  inspiration  that  he 
had,  but  simply  by  reason  of  that  communion  and  direction 


GENESIS    XL.  307 

from  God,  which  as  God's  minister  he  was  privileged  with. 
He  said,  "  Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God  ?  "  Is  it  not 
the  prerogative  of  Him  who  sends  the  dream,  to  send  also  the 
interpretation  of  the  dream?  I  ought  to  notice  that  in 
ancient  times  dreams  were  one  of  the  modes  used  by  God  for 
conveying  his  mind  to  man.  "  God,  who  at  sundry  times  and 
in  divers  manners,"  sometimes  in  dreams,  and  sometimes  in 
visions,  "  spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets, 
hath  in  these  last  days  "  put  away  all  these  forms  as  the 
usual  channels  of  his  mind,  and  "  hath  spoken  unto  us  by  his 
Son  ;  "  that  is,  in  his  own  holy,  perfect  and  completed  Word. 
But  in  those  days  dreams  were  Scripture,  and  interpreters 
of  dreams  were  the  expositors  of  Scripture ;  and,  therefore, 
these  two  men,  believing  in  a  God,  at  all  events  having  confi- 
dence in  the  significance  of  dreams  as  supernatural  intima- 
tions, asked  Joseph  to  interpret  theirs ;  and  he  gave  the  m- 
terpretation,  and  taught  them  also  a  lesson  they  needed  to 
know,  that  the  author  of  the  interpretation  was,  not  the  gods 
of  the  Nile,  but  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac  and  Jacob. 

The  butler  or  cup-bearer  first  of  all  narrated  his  dream. 
Now  the  remarkable  part  of  his  dream  was,  not  the  natural 
history  of  it,  but  the  rapidity  with  which  he  saw  the  bud  come 
into  the  blossom,  the  blossom  into  the  fruit,  the  fruit  into  the 
clusters,  and  the  clusters  into  the  ripe  grapes.  The  thing  that 
struck  the  butler  with  amazement,  as  most  significant,  was  the 
speed  of  the  process.  It  was  as  if  it  all  at  once  budded,  blos- 
somed, bore  fruitage,  ripened,  and  then  was  by  him  squeezed 
or  pressed  into  the  cup  of  Pharaoh.  Joseph  interpreted  it  at 
once.  Now  his  interpretation  could  not  have  been  a  guess. 
Why  should  he  guess  that  the  "  three  branches  "  are  three 
days  ?  Why  not  three  months,  three  years,  three  hours,  three 
centuries  ?  The  very  interpretation  that  he  gave,  and  the  de- 
cision with  which  he  gave  it,  showed  that  he  was  inspired  from 
26=^ 


308  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

on  high  ;  and  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  was  proof  that 
the  interpreter  was  right. 

You  have  in  that  interpretation,  "  The  three  branches  are 
three  days,"  a  very  important  function,  I  may  observe,  of  the 
word  "  is  "  or  "  are."  It  is  evident  that  the  word  "  are  "  is 
used  in  the  sense  of  "  signify  "  —  "  The  three  branches  are,  or 
si^mify,  three  days."  Now,  does  it  not  seem  natural  to  under- 
stand these  words,  "  This  is  my  body,"  in  the  same  way  as 
you  understand  this  clause  in  Joseph's  interpretation,  namely, 
"This  signifies  my  body?"  Nobody  would  imagine  that 
Joseph  meant  that  these  three  branches  were  transubstantiated 
into  three  days ;  and  no  one  but  one  who  wished  to  justify 
the  decisions  of  counsels  previously  and  fallibly  given,  would 
ever  think  of  changing  the  words,  "  This  is  my  body  "  into 
"  This  is  transubstantiated  into  my  body." 

Having  rendered  this  service  to  the  butler,  Joseph  asked,  as 
the  only  favor  he  desired,  that  the  butler  would  think  of  him 
when  he  was  raised  to  prosperity.  He  had  sown  spiritual 
good.     He  asked  a  little  temporal  in  return. 

Then  the  chief  baker  also  came,  no  doubt  concluding  that 
since  the  butler's  dream  had  had  such  a  favorable  interpre- 
tation, his  also  must  have  a  favorable  meaning ;  and  he 
said,  "  Behold,  I  had  three  white  baskets  on  my  head."  In 
Eastern  lands  bread  and  most  other  things  are  carried  on  the 
head ;  and  in  the  north  I  can  recollect  the  time  when  bakers 
carried  their  baskets  of  bread  on  their  heads,  which  no  doubt 
was  a  vestige  of  an  ancient  custom.  He  said,  "  In  the  upper- 
most basket  there  was  of  all  manner  of  bakemeats  for  Pha- 
raoh ;  and  the  birds  did  eat  them  out  of  the  basket  upon  my 
head."  Joseph  then  gave  him  the  interpretation  of  this,  and 
doubtless  with  sorrow  ;  but  then  it  was  his  duty  not  to  accom- 
modate his  interpretations  to  individual  tastes,  and,  like  the 
ancient  oracles,  to  tell  what  would  please  most  those  who  could 
pay  most,  but  to  speak  what  was  truth,  whether  palatable  or 


GENESIS  XL.  309 

painful ;  and,  therefore,  he  said,  "  Within  three  days  shall 
Pharaoh  lift  up  thy  head  from  ofif  thee,  and  shall  hang  thee 
on  a  tree  ;  and  the  birds  shall  eat  thy  flesh  from  ofif  thee." 

Next  we  have  the  simple  record  that  this  was  literally  and 
strictly  fulfilled;  and  then  it  is  added  in  language  most  elo- 
quent, because  so  simple,  and  so  descriptive  of  what  man  is, 

—  the  recipients  of  the  greatest  mercies  often  feeling  the  least 
grateful,  and  almost  illustrating  the  common  aphorism,  that 
the  way  to  lose  a  man's  friendship  is  to  do  him  some  service, 

—  "  Yet  did  not  the  chief  butler  remember  Joseph,  but  forgat 
him."  But  Joseph  still  knew  of  One  who  said,  "  A  mother 
may  forget  her  sucking  child,  yet  will  not  I  forget  thee." 


CHAPTEK    XLI. 

PHABAOH's  dreams  —  THE  NILE  —  THE  SEVEN  KINE  —  THE  SEVEN  EARS 
OF  CORN — BTTTLER'S  RECOMMENDATION  OF  JOSEPH JOSEPH'S  IN- 
TERPRETATION—  USE  OF  LANGUAGE — EGYPTIAN   MANNERS. 

We  read,  in  the  previous  chapter,  that  the  two  chief  ser-" 
vants  of  Pharaoh  dreamed,  and  received  the  interpretation  of 
their  dreams  from  their  fellow-prisoner,  Joseph.  We  find  in 
this  that  kings  must  sleep  as  well  as  the  meanest  of  their  sub- 
jects, or  the  lowest  of  their  servants ;  and  that  the  dreams 
that  visit  weary  workmen  and  servants  during  sleep,  are  not 
strangers  to  royal  minds  when  reposing  after  the  exercise  of 
their  talents,  exhausted  with  the  cares  of  the  state,  any  more 
than  to  the  mind  of  the  working  man  after  the  toils  of  the 
field. 

He  thought,  in  this  dream,  that  "he  stood  by  the  river." 
The  very  mention  of  the  word  is  evidence  of  the  locality. 
"  The  river  "  was  the  name  in  Egypt  familiarly  given  to  the 
Nile,  the  great  source  of  its  fertility  and  its  prosperity,  and 
its  hope  of  plenteous  harvests  and  national  wealth.  It  ap- 
pears that  seven  lean  kine,  according  to  the  simple  narrative, 
which  I  need  not  recapitulate,  came  out  of  the  banks,  or  the 
rank  sedge  or  grass  upon  the  river's  bank,  where  the  croco- 
dile is  now  found  watching  for  his  prey ;  and  that  these  seven 
lean  cattle  devoured  the  seven  fat  cattle.  The  ox  is  still 
found  upon  the  ancient  monuments  of  Egypt  as  the  hiero- 
glyph of  agricultural  produce  ;  and  Pharaoh  therefore  could 
easily  see  that  the  dream,  which  was  so  connected  with  oxen 


GENESIS   XLI.  311 

or  cattle,  was  in  some  way  connected  also  with  the  agricul- 
tural prospects  and  harvests  of  the  land.  He  dreamed  a 
second  dream,  and  in  this  dream  he  saw  seven  ears  of  corn, 
very  thin  and  blasted  with  the  east  wind,  and  these  devoured 
(although  the  word  should  not  be  devoured^  for  it  is  a  differ- 
ent word  to  that  applied  to  the  cattle,  and  it  means  super- 
seded, consumed)  the  seven  full  ears  that  appeared  beside 
them.  Now  it  has  been  found  that  what  is  called,  botani- 
cally,  triticum  compositum,  was  the  common  wheat  in  Egypt, 
and  of  this  very  wheat  some  specimens  have  been  found  in 
California.  In  this  kind  of  wheat,  one  stem  rises  from  the  land, 
and  seven,  eight  or  nine  different  ears  all  start  up  from  it. 
This  is  a  sort  of  wheat  which  we  have  not,  unless  the  speci- 
mens of  mummy  wheat  recently  imported  should  be  of  this 
kind.  It  is  necessary  that  we  should  understand  this  pecu- 
liarity of  Egyptian  wheat,  in  order  to  comprehend  what 
seems  so  unnatural,  — seven  ears  of  corn  growing  up  from 
one  root,  or  parent  stem. 

This  was  but  a  dream  —  often  a  meaningless  thing.  And 
why,  you  would  say,  should  Pharaoh  be  troubled  by  a  dream  ? 
You  can  understand  an  ignorant  butler  or  an  uneducated 
baker  dreaming,  and  thinking  that  the  dream  had  some  mys- 
terious import ;  but  how  can  you  suppose  that  an  educated 
man,  disbelieving  eternity,  surrounded  by  loyal  and  brave 
men,  should  at  all  be  troubled  by  dreams  ?  It  is  a  singular 
fact  that  the  most  infidel  men  are  invariably  the  most  super- 
stitious. Of  this,  Herod  is  an  instance.  You  would  see,  if 
you  knew  them  as  well  as  they  know  themselves,  that  those 
men  who  talk  so  proudly  against  the  very  existence  of  a  God, 
are  the  very  men  who  are  most  given  to  all  superstitious 
notions  —  to  dreams,  to  magic,  to  fortune-telling,  and  to  all 
the  absurdities  that  are  too  familiar  and  too  dear  to  numbers 
of  mankind ;  and  Pharaoh  showed  that  even  he,  who  was 
really  a  heathen,  and  did  not  believe  in  a  personal  God, 


312  SCEIPTURE  READINGS. 

although  he  may  have  believed  in  the  idolatries  of  Egypt, 
was  just  as  superstitious  as  the  lowest  of  his  subjects;  and 
believed,  though  in  this  instance  truly,  that  a  dream  so 
strange,  so  deep  in  its  impression,  and  so  repeated,  —  the  dif- 
ferent imagery  of  which,  however,  conveyed  the  same  com- 
mon impression,  —  must  have  a  meaning  that  he  must  be  at 
the  bottom  of 

In  order  to  find  out  what  its  interpretation  must  be,  he 
had  recourse  to  the  accustomed  interpreters,  whose  celebrity 
was  great.  The  magi,  or  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  had  a  two- 
fold character.  They  were,  first  of  all,  priests,  who  ministered 
at  the  altars  of  their  gods.  Among  these,  for  instance,  was" 
the  priest  of  On,  that  is,  the  priest  of  the  sun.  They  were 
also  wise  men,  or  philosophers,  who  gave  their  opinions  upon 
questions  of  state  or  policy,  and  who  even  ventured  to  tell 
fortunes  or  to  interpret  dreams.  To  these  wise  men,  or  magi, 
therefore,  as  the  accustomed  authorities,  the  king  had  re- 
course ;  but  he  soon  found  that  they  were  utterly  unable  to 
explain  his  dreams.  They  could  not  guess  what  they  could 
mean ;  all  their  arts  were  nonplussed ;  they  could  not  give 
him  any  interpretation  at  all  natural  or  satisfactory. 

At  this  crisis  the  butler  makes  his  appearance,  and  shows 
his  character  to  be  that  of  an  ungrateful  and  miserable  syco- 
phant. You  recollect  that  in  prison  Joseph  asked  him  the 
little  favor,  that,  when  he  escaped,  he  would  remember  him 
in  the  presence  of  his  master ;  but  not  one  syllable  did  he 
utter  to  his  master  about  poor  Joseph,  for  whom  he  cared 
nothing,  and  only  when  there  was  a  chance  of  bettering  him- 
self, and  of  making  the  king  feel  that  his  servant  the  butler 
could  do  him  a  benefit,  did  he  say,  in  a  crouching  and  craven 
tone,  "  I  do  remember  my  faults  this  day ;  I  got  what  I  de- 
served when  I  was  cast  into  prison."  His  greatest  fault, 
that  of  ingratitude,  he  did  not  remember ;  his  other  fault,  for 
which  the  king  punished  him,  he  professed  at  least  that  he 


GENESIS    XLI.  813 

did  remember.  He,  therefore,  excuses  himself  that  so  unwor- 
thy a  person  should  approach  so  sacred  a  majesty.  He  said 
nothing  in  favor  of  Joseph  in  order  to  do  Joseph  good,  but 
merely  told  the  king  that  Joseph  was  a  clever  interpreter  of 
dreams,  in  order  that  the  king  might  be  thankful  to  him,  the 
butler,  for  giving  him  this  information,  rather  than  to  Joseph, 
who  should  succeed  in  interpreting  his  dreams.  The  butler 
told  the  king  the  reason  why  he  knew  that  Joseph  was  so 
good  an  interpreter  was  that  he  had  interpreted  his  and  the 
baker's  dijeams,  and  that  the  result  showed  the  accuracy  of 
his  interpretation. 

It  is  very  important  to  notice  the  language  he  used  on  this 
occasion,  because  it  throws  light  upon  disputed  passages  of 
Scripture :  "  Me  he  restored  unto  mine  office,  and  him  be 
hanged."  Now  Joseph  did  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 
How,  then,  can  it  be  said  that  Joseph  hanged  the  baker  ?  It 
is  a  frequent  formula  used  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
to  denote  that  the  person  predicted  or  proclaimed  the  thing, 
or  said  that  the  thing  would  be.  For  instance,  in  Ezekiel 
the  expression  is  used,  "I  am  come,"  says  the  prophet,  "to 
destroy  this  city."  But  how  could  a  single  man  destroy  it  ? 
He  meant,  "  I  am  come  to  proclaim  the  approaching  destruc- 
tion of  this  city."  Again,  the  commission  given  to  Ezekiel 
is,  "  Kemove  the  diadem,  and  abase  him  that  is  high."  That 
was  not  a  command  to  Ezekiel  literally  to  do  it,  but  it  was  a 
command  to  Ezekiel  to  proclaim  that  the  crown  should  be 
taken  from  his  brow,  and  that  the  high  should  be  abased.  So 
God  says  to  Ezekiel,  "I  have  set  thee  up  to  root  up  and  to 
pull  down."  That  means,  to  predict  these  occurrences.  Now, 
that  is  another  explanation  of  the  text  I  referred  to  when 
speaking  of  leprosy,  "  Whose  sins  ye  forgive,  they  are  for- 
given ;  and  whose  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained  ;  "  —  that 
is,  whose  sins  ye  proclaim  to  be  forgiven  through  faith  and 
repentance  in  Christ  Jesus,  these  are  forgiven ;  and  whose 


314  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

sins  ye  declare  not  to  be  forgiven,  because  of  rejection  of  tlie 
remedy,  these  sins  are  retained.  And,  therefore,  in  this  pas- 
sage the  apostles  were  invested,  not  with  the  power  of  forgiv- 
ing sins,  but  with  the  privilege  of  preaching  how  and  on  what 
ground  sin  could  be  forgiven. 

We  read  that  Joseph,  thus  commended,  was  rescued  from 
prison,  and  brought  into  Pharaoh's  presence.  All  this 
seemed  to  be  the  mere  result  of  man's  volition ;  it  was  every 
inch  of  it  the  preparation  of  God.  There  is  one  thing  here 
worth  noticing,  very  humbling  to  man,  very  glorifying  to 
God.  When  you  read  history,  not  as  man  writes  it,  but  as 
God's  amanuenses  write  it,  you  can  discover  that  while  man" 
on  the  lower  platform  seems  to  be  the  sovereign  power  that 
is  directing  all,  he  is  in  God's  hand  but  the  humble  instru- 
ment, guided,  overruled  and  restrained  as  God  may  please. 

You  will  notice,  that,  when  Joseph  came  into  the  presence 
of  Pharaoh,  he  shaved  himself.  Now  that  seems  a  very 
useless  remark ;  but  you  will  find  that  these  little  remarks  in 
the  Bible,  which  seem  to  us  very  unnecessary,  are,  when  we 
come  to  get  more  light,  strong  presumptive  evidences  of  what 
we  do  not  doubt,  the  authenticity,  genuineness  and  date  of 
the  document.  Now,  no  ordinary  writer  getting  up  a  story 
would  have  said  this  ;  but  when  you  remember  that  all  East- 
ern nations  wore  then,  what  they  almost  all  do  now,  the  beard, 
and  that  the  Egyptian  was  almost  the  only  exception,  you 
can  see  how  the  act  of  shaving  was  necessary  before  entering 
the  presence  of  royalty,  since  it  would  have  been  like  going 
into  the  presence  of  a  prince  now  with  a  hat  on,  to  have 
appeared  in  Egyptian  society  with  a  beard ;  and,  therefore, 
it  is  very  appropriately  said  that,  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  country,  and  to  show  deference  to  Pharaoh,  Joseph,  after 
being  long  in  prison,  shaved  himself  before  he  approached 
his  presence.  Now  that  single  word  opens  up  a  whole  chap- 
ter, and  shows  us  that  the  incidental  narrative  bears  under 


GENESIS   XLI.  315 

it  the  evidence  of  the  genuineness  and  the  authenticity  of  the 
document. 

When  Joseph  was  spoken  to,  we  read  that  he  took  no  credit 
to  himself,  but  at  once  gave  God  the  glory.  He  said,  "It  is 
not  my  talent,  my  cleverness,  my  skill,  my  experience ;  it  is 
God,  who  makes  use  of  me  as  an  instrument,  in  order  to  inter- 
pret." He  then  tells  him  why  the  dream  was  twice  repealed, 
namely,  to  show  the  greater  certainty  of  it. 

It  is  next  mentioned  that  Pharaoh,  by  way  of  reward,  gave 
Joseph  in  marriage  "  Asenath,  the  daughter  of  Potipherah, 
priest  of  On.  And  Joseph  went  out  all  over  the  land  of 
Egypt."  Whether  she  became  a  Christian,  or  not,  we  cannot 
say ;  but  that  Joseph,  a  Christian,  accepted  her  as  his  wife,  is 
matter  of  record.  The  priest  of  On  means  the  priest  of  the 
sun,  which,  with  the  moon,  the  stars,  the  Nile,  and  the  beasts 
of  the  Nile,  were  all  in  succession  employed  by  the  Egyptians 
as  the  gods  that  they  worshipped. 

A  very  valuable  work  ("Egypt  and  its  Monuments,"  by 
Dr.  Hawks),  illustrative  of  Scripture  from  hieroglyph  monu- 
ments of  Egypt,  gives  some  remarkable  proofs  of  ancient 
Egyptian  habits.  Among  the  rest,  "  Pharaoh  gives  to  Joseph 
his  ring.  This  was  an  act  of  investiture,  such  as  is  not  entirely 
foreign  to  the  usages  of  Europe  in  the  middle  ages ;"  and  he 
gives  the  forms  of  rings,  as  these  are  found  on  the  monuments 
of  Egypt,  showing  that  they  were  employed  to  convey  author- 
ity. With  reference  to  the  fact  of  Joseph's  being  arrayed  in 
vesture  of  fine  linen,  he  states  that  fine  linen,  proved  to  be  so 
by  careful  chemical  analysis,  is  found  at  this  day  wrapped 
round  mummies  ;  and  that  some  instances  of  cotton  have  been 
also  found  amongst  these  monuments.  Pharaoh  also  put  a 
gold  chain  about  Joseph's  neck.  There  are  frequent  engrav- 
ings on  monuments,  all  showing  royal  personages  putting  chains 
round  the  necks  of  persons  whom  they  invested  with  authority, 
and  raised  to  eminence.  It  is  also  stat^  that  Pharaoh  chang^ 
27 


816  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Joseph's  name  to  an  Egyptian  name.  Our  version  gives  it, 
Zaphnath-Paaneah.  The  Septuagint  gives  it,  Psonthom-pha- 
nech,  and  Josephus,  Psothom-phanech.  Egyptian  scholars 
recognize  in  it  the  Egyi^tian  word,  Psotomfeneh,  meaning 
the  "  salvation,"  or  the  "  saviour  of  the  age."  It  is  also 
said  that  Pharaoh  married  Joseph  to  Asenath.  The  meaning 
of  this  name  has  been  doubted ;  but  the  most  frequent  inter- 
pretation is,  "  one  belonging  to  Isis."  She  was  the  daughter, 
we  are  told,  of  Potipherah,  priest  of  On.  The  word  jji-iest,  in 
the  margin  of  our  version,  is  translated  prince  ;  but  the  priests 
of  Egypt  being  set  over  cities,  were  frequently  the  princes  of 
the  day,  and  were  used  as  councillors  by  the  king.  Dr.  Hawks 
also  alludes  to  the  fact  that  during  the  seven  years  of  plenty 
Joseph  collected  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  laid  them  up,  and 
quotes  the  following  fact :  "  At  Beni  Hassan,  in  the  tomb  of 
Amenembe,  there  is  a  painting  of  a  great  storehouse,  before 
the  door  of  which  lies  a  large  heap  of  grain,  already  winnowed. 
The  measurer  fills  a  bushel,  in  order  to  pour  it  out  into  the 
sacks  of  those  who  carry  the  grain  to  the  granary.  The  bear- 
ers go  to  the  door  of  the  storehouse,  and  lay  down  their  sacks 
before  an  oflScer,  who  stands  ready  to  receive  the  corn.  This 
is  the  owner  of  the  storehouse.  Near  by  stands  the  bushel 
with  which  it  is  measured,  and  the  registrar  who  takes  the 
account.  At  the  side  of  the  windows  there  are  characters 
which  indicate  the  quantity  of  the  mass  which  is  deposited  in 
the  magazine ;"  and  some  inscriptions  are  found  actually  giving 
the  name  of  Joseph  in  the  Egyptian  language,  in  reference  to 
distributing  the  corn  out  to  the  people. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  see  how  all  recent  discoveries  con- 
firm the  facts  of  the  Bible,  and  how  things  doubted  by  sceptics 
arc  brought  out  with  a  clearness  and  a  fulness,  in  the  providence 
of  God,  that  show  to  demonstration,  that,  when  there  are  found 
difficulties  in  the  Bible,  it  is  not  that  the  Bible  is  wrong,  but 
that  we  must  wait  till  God  gives  us  more  light. 


CHAPTEK    XLIL 

FAMINIE  IN  CANAAN  —  CORN  IN  EGYPT  —  JACOB'S  SONS  SENT  TO  EGYPT  — 

THEIR    RECEPTION   BY   JOSEPH HIS     INCOGNITO HIS    STIPULATION 

TO  HAVE  BEN  J^iJMIN  AS  A  PLEDGE CONSCIENCE EFFECT  ON  JACOB 

HIS  SORROW. 

Suppose  the  chapter  I  have  read  were  a  mere  human  compo- 
sition, I  am  sure  there  would  be  pronounced  respecting  it  a 
universal  judgment,  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  graphic,  exquis- 
ite, and  touching  pictures  that  were  ever  embodied  in  any 
language  or  descriptive  of  any  circumstances.  Were  it  regarded 
as  an  uninspired  record,  I  am  sure  it  would  be  admitted  that 
the  great  master  of  human  nature,  one  who  knew  it  so  deeply 
and  had  studied  it  so  profoundly,  the  gifted  Shakspeare,  never 
sketched  a  scene  so  true  to  nature,  in  so  simple  language,  with 
so  exquisite  but  expressive  touches  as  are  recorded  in  this 
beautiful  and  interesting  episode. 

We  read  that  there  was  a  famine  in  the  land ;  that  Joseph, 
raised  to  power  through  his  great  skill,  his  good  conduct,  his 
apparent  sympathy  with  God,  and  God's  apparent  protection 
to  him,  by  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt,  pursued  so  cautious  a 
policy  that  his  plans  were  followed  by  the  most  successful 
results.  He  saw,  through  prophetic  inspiration,  approaching 
famine,  and  he  proposed,  therefore,  what  would  enable  them  to 
subsist  in  the  years  of  famine.  Other  nations  did  not  know 
of  the  approaching  famine  ;  they  misused  the  plenty  of  the 
seven  full  years,  and  therefore  they  pined  and  suffered  under 
the  famine  of  the  seven  poor  years ;  and  those  that  were  able 


318  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

had,  therefore,  to  leave  their  own  country,  and  to  seek  food  of 
another.  It  is  always  a  bad  state  when  one  nation  is  dependent 
on  another  for  its  bread.  It  would  be  the  greatest  calamity 
if  our  own  country  were  to  cease  to  grow  what  is  sufficient  for 
its  own  maintenance ;  because,  when  we  are  dependent  on  an- 
other land,  when  war  comes  with  its  blockades  and  restrictions, 
—  and  war  actually  was  waged  between  the  nomad  tribes  around 
the  valley  of  the  Nile  —  the  people  of  Canaan  and  the  Egyp- 
tians,—  then  the  scene  that  is  recorded  here  will  only  be 
enacted  over  again. 

However,  they  had  no  help  ;  Jacob  must  starve  in  Canaan, 
or  he  must  beg,  borrow  or  buy  from  Egypt.  It  was  under 
the  pressure  of  the  increasing  famine,  that  he  said  to  his 
Bons,  in  language  perfectly  natural,  "  Why  do  ye  look  one 
upon  another  ?  "  Why  should  we  lie  down  and  starve  ?  AVe 
must  bow  our  proud  spirits  or  die ;  we  must  submit  to  beg, 
borrow  or  buy,  as  we  can ;  and,  therefore,  "  get  you  down  into 
Egypt,  and  buy  for  us  from  thence ;  that  we  may  live  and 
not  die." 

The  whole  of  the  ten  brethren  went  down  to  buy  corn  in 
Egypt.  "  But  Benjamin,  Joseph's  brother,  Jacob  sent  not 
with  his  brethren."  You  can  constantly  see  this  feature 
running  through  Jacob's  character.  Benjamin  and  Joseph 
were  the  sons  of  the  beloved  Bachel,  and  to  these  two  Jacob 
felt  special  fatherly  affection.  Joseph  being,  as  he  believed, 
torn  in  pieces  by  the  wild  beasts,  he  was  naturally  afraid  lest 
Benjamin  going  with  the  very  ten,  who,  he  suspected,  had  at 
the  least  not  taken  sufficient  care  of  Joseph,  even  if  they  had 
not  made  away  with  him  altogether,  might  perish  also. 
Therefore,  he  sent  not  Benjamin  with  them,  "  lest  peradven- 
ture  mischief  befall  him." 

By  and  by  we  find  they  arc  arrived  in  Egypt,  and  anxious 
to  buy  corn  among  the  Egyptians;  "for  the  famine  was  in 
the  land  of  Canaan."     Joseph,  unknown  to  the  ten,  was  the 


QENESI8    XLII.  319 

governor  over  the  land ;  "  and  Joseph's  brethren  came,  and 
bowed  themselves  before  him  with  their  faces  to  the  earth." 
KecoUect,  at  this  point,  what  was  his  dream  when  a  mere 
boy,  namely,  that  the  sheaves  of  his  brethren  bowed  to  his 
sheaf;  and  that  they  said,  What  does  this  dreamer  mean  ? 
Shall  he  predict  that  we,  his  elder  brethren,  though  of  a  dif- 
ferent mother,  shall  indeed  bow  down  to  him,  and  give  him 
honor,  as  if  he  were  something  great  ?  If  they  had  been  told 
that  the  very  plan  that  they  pursued  to  avert  this  greatness 
of  J  oseph  was  the  very  plan  which,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
would  be  employed  to  bring  it  about,  they  would  have  de- 
claimed against  the  possibility  of  such  an  occurrence  with 
undisguised  and  unanimous  contempt.  And  yet  the  very 
thing  they  labored  to  avert  was  what  they  brought  about. 
The  honor  that  Joseph  predicted  would  be  his  own  was  the 
honor  he  had  now  actually  given  him ;  and  these  ten  breth- 
ren, bowing  down  to  him  here,  show  that  Joseph's  dream 
was  not  the  fancy  of  a  sick  man,  but  the  inspiration  of  God 
himself. 

"Joseph,"  it  is  said, "  saw  his  brethren,  and  he  knew  them, 
but  made  himself  strange  unto  them,  and  spake  roughly  unto 
them ;  and  he  said  unto  them.  Whence  come  ye  ?  And  they 
said,  From  the  land  of  Canaan  to  buy  food.  And  Joseph 
knew  his  brethren ;  but  they  knew  not  him."  You  ask.  Is 
this  probable  ?  It  is  true,  because  it  is  here  asserted ;  but  it 
is  probable,  when  you  consider  the  time  that  had  elapsed. 
The  ten  brethren  were  still  in  their  shepherd's  dress ;  for 
they  were  shepherds.  Joseph  was  no  longer  the  boy  of 
seventeen  years  of  age,  with  the  many-pieced  coat,  as  he  was 
when  they  last  saw  him  (for  the  translation,  "  many  colors," 
is  not  correct),  that  his  father  gave  him;  but  was  now  elevated 
to  great  rank,  and  clothed  in  splendid  apparel,  being  the 
prime  minister  of  the  most  powerful  prince,  and  in  the  most 
cultivated  country,  in  the  world  —  Egypt.  He  was  now  about 
27* 


320  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

forty  years  of  age ;  and  we  well  know  that  the  features  of  a 
person  undergo  their  greatest  alteration  from  seventeen  to 
forty ;  and  although  they  knew  him  well,  and  remembered 
him  well,  when  he  was  seventeen,  they  could  not  recollect 
him  when  he  was  forty,  or  trace  Rachel's  son  in  Pharaoh's 
prime  minister.  But  they  were  not  so  altered  as  he  was ; 
they  were  in  the  same  clothing  they  used  to  wear,  and  we 
know  that  what  one  wears  in  this  world  has  a  great  eflfect 
on  what  one  appears ;  and,  besides  this,  they  were  ten  of 
them  together,  and  if  he  had  failed  in  recollecting  that  very 
evasive  and  fugitive  thing  —  the  human  likeness — in  one, 
he  would  have  easily  recollected  it  in  another ;  and  thus  he 
was  satisfied  and  able  to  discern  that  these  were  his  very  ten 
brethren,  though  they  could  not  recognize  him. 

Then  it  is  said,  "  Joseph  remembered  the  dreams  which  he 
dreamed  of  them,  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  spies ;  to  see 
the  nakedness  of  the  land  ye  are  come  ;  " — that  is,  he  spoke 
to  them  in  his  official  capacity  as  the  prime  governor  of  the 
realm,  not  wishing  to  unveil  himself,  or  make  himself  known 
yet.  Some  say  that  there  seems  here  something  like  disin- 
genuousness.  I  think  not.  There  was  reason  for  what  he 
did,  because,  if  he  had  said,  "  I  am  Joseph,"  then  what  would 
his  brethren  have  done  ?  They  would  have  been  so  shocked 
and  so  ashamed  of  their  past  treatment  of  him,  that,  instead 
of  taking  corn  to  their  father,  they  would  have  fled  rather 
than  face  him,  and  carry  back  the  tidings  of  their  criminality, 
and  lies,  and  deception ;  and  therefore  Joseph  kept  them 
gradually  approaching  him,  until  the  time  came  when  he 
could  disclose  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  would  be  best  for 
Jacob,  best  for  Benjamin,  and  best  for  them  all;  and  so  that, 
whilst  sorrow  should  be  excited  in  the  ten  brethren  by  the 
recollection  of  their  sin,  gratitude  and  joy  should  be  caused 
in  the  old  patriarch's  heart  by  the  fact  that  Joseph  no  longer 
•*  was  not,"  but  was  again  found. 


GENESIS    XLII.  321 

Well,  tliey  said  to  him,  "We  are  no  spies;  we  are  come 
here  to  buy  corn."  But  you  say,  "How  could  Joseph  be 
■warranted  in  saying  they  were  spies  ?  "  I  will  tell  you.  The 
valley  of  the  Nile  was  the  richest  corn-growing  district  in  the 
world,  even  as  it  might  be  now,  if  there  were  better  men  to 
sow  and  reap  it.  All  around  the  Nile  country  there  were 
roving  bands  of  nomad  shepherds,  who  fed  cattle.  Kecollect 
that,  partly  owing  to  the  habits  of  the  Egyptians,  a  shepherd 
was  hated  by  them ;  but  chiefly  that  certain  shepherd  kings, 
prior  to  this  period,  as  we  have  proof  in  Scripture,  and  evi- 
dence on  the  Egyptian  monuments,  governed  Egypt  with  a 
rod  of  iron.  These  were  the  Philistines  who  came  from 
Canaan.  Now  these  very  ten  brethren  came  from  Canaan, 
where  the  tyrants  of  the  Egyptians  had  retired  after  they 
were  driven  out  of  Egypt;  they  were  also,  as  I  have  said, 
shepherds,  who  were  perhaps  otherwise  hateful  to  the  Egyp- 
tians. It  was,  therefore,  natural  for  him  to  say,  "  You  are 
stragglers  from  these  bands,  come  to  see  our  weak  places, 
and  to  plan  what  you  can  do  to  invade  the  land,  and  plunder 
our  granaries."  They  replied,  "  We  are  true  men,  thy  ser- 
vants are  no  spies." 

Then  they  said,  audibly  because  irrepressible, —  and  how 
must  Joseph  have  been  touched  as  he  listened,  —  "Thy ser- 
vants are  twelve  brethren,  the  sons  of  one  man,  in  the  land 
of  Canaan ;  and,  behold,  the  youngest  is  this  day  with  our 
father,"  —  what  good  news  these  were  to  Joseph  !  he  did  not 
know  perhaps,  till  now,  that  Benjamin  was  alive,  — "  and 
one  is  not."  They  gave  no  account  of  where  he  was,  no 
statement  of  his  death ;  they  dare  not  think  of  this,  but  sim- 
ply said,  "  One  is  not."  And  Joseph,  I  have  no  doubt,  una- 
ble to  suppress  the  deep  and  overwhelming  emotions  of  his 
heart,  was  able,  in  spite  of  his  feelings,  to  reiterate  his  own 
statement,  —  the  very  reiteration  showing  that  he  said  it  in 


022  SCRIFTURE    READINGS. 

order  to  suppress  and  conceal  his  deep  yearnings  to  embrace 
them,  and  say,  "  I  forgive  you,"  —  "  Ye  are  spies." 

But  he  adds,  " I  will  put  an  end  to  the  whole  controversy; 
ye  shall  not  go,  except  your  youngest  brother  come  hither. 
Send  one  of  you,  and  let  him  fetch  your  brother.  And  he 
put  them  all  together  into  ward  three  days."  But  then  he 
recollected  that  during  these  days  of  confinement  their  poor 
father  Jacob  was  starving  probably ;  and  he  said,  "  I  will  not 
keep  you  all ;  I  will  detain  one  as  a  pledge,  and  the  rest  shall 
go  and  take  corn  to  your  father,  and  bring  your  brother  Ben- 
jamin back  to  me." 

Now,  it  was  for  them  to  risk  the  life  of  Benjamin,  or  to 
starve ;  in  either  case,  it  was  calamity ;  but  if  Joseph  had 
revealed  himself,  he  would  never  have  seen  Benjamin  nor 
them  again ;  for  I  have  no  doubt  they  would  rather  have 
done  anything  than  expose  their  own  past  criminality  to  their 
flither. 

Let  us  notice  what  they  said  in  verse  twenty-one,  —  they 
had  not  the  remotest  idea  that  this  was  Joseph,  nor  the  dim- 
mest recollection  of  him,  and,  therefore,  he  could  have  said 
nothing  that  could  have  made  them  suspect,  —  *' They  said 
one  to  another.  We  are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother." 
How  should  this  deed,  done  twenty-three  years  ago,  come  into 
their  minds?  Calamity  was  heaped  on  calamity,  trouble 
upon  trouble ;  they  could  not  get  corn  without  grieving  their 
father  and  risking  Benjamin;  and  they  asked  themselves, 
What  is  the  cause  of  this  calamity  on  calamity,  and  trial  on 
trial,  and  all  God's  billows  rolling  over  us  ?  Their  con- 
science solved  the  perplexity ;  it  has  unextinguished  recol- 
lections ;  it  reminded  them  that  they  had  sold  Joseph  as  a 
slave,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt  perished;  that  some  of  them 
were  ready  to  kill  him,  and  that  it  was  only  by  the  interven- 
tion of  a  more  humane  brother,  that  he  escaped  a  cruel  death 
in   order  to  be  sold  as  a  miserable  and  wretched  Egyptian 


GENESIS    XLII.  323 

slave.  All  this  flashed  in  their  minds,  and  they  said,  "  We 
are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in  that  we  saw  the 
anguish  of  his  soul,  when  he  besought  us,  and  we  would  not 
hear  ;  therefore  is  this  distress  come  upon  us."  What  a  wit- 
ness is  in  the  conscience  of  man  to  the  nature  of  sin  and  the 
righteousness  of  the  retributions  of  God,  and  how  true  is  it, 
"The. sinner's  sin,"  except  it  be  forgiven,  is  sure  to  "find  him 
out !  "  These  ten  had  not  yet  repented,  they  were  not  yet 
forgiven. 

"They  knew  not  that  Joseph  understood  them."  They 
said  it  aloud ;  and  how  must  he  have  been  affected  when  he 
heard  it !  "  He  spake  unto  them  by  an  interpreter."  He 
spoke  to  them  in  the  Egyptian  tongue,  and  not  in  his  own 
language,  lest  he  should  discover  himself;  and  he  spoke 
through  the  medium  of  an  interpreter,  who  translated  the 
Egyptian  of  the  prime  minister  into  the  Hebrew  of  the 
applicants  for  corn. 

But  all  this  time  Joseph's  feelings  were  too  deep  and  ear- 
nest to  be  easily  kept  down.  It  is  said,  in  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful language,  "He  turned  himself  about  from  them,  and 
wept."  His  heart  was  breaking.  Sympathy  and  sorrow,  not 
revenge,  were  there.  He  hid  the  tears  which  he  could  not 
repress ;  and,  when  he  had  wiped  those  tears  away,  he  "  re- 
turned to  them  again,  and  com.muned  with  them,  and  took 
from  them  Simeon,  and  bound  him  before  their  eyes." 

He  then  gave  them  corn,  and  put  their  money  into  their 
sacks.  All  these  things  were  designed  by  Joseph  so  to  per- 
plex, as  to  bring  to  their  minds  the  recollection  of  their  sins, 
not  that  they  might  despair,  but  that  they  might  feel  them, 
acknowledge  them,  and  be  forgiven. 

When  they  discovered  the  money  restored  in  the  case  of 
one  of  the  sacks,  as  they  came  to  an  inn,  they  were  still  more 
struck  with  a  sense  of  retribution  following   them,  saying, 


'S24:  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

"What  is  this  that  God  hath  done  unto  us?"  Their  sin, 
twenty-three  years  old,  haunted  them  at  every  step. 

I  may  notice  that  the  word  "  inn  "  did  not  then  mean  what 
it  does  in  modern  times.  It  was  simply  a  shed  by  the  river- 
side, where  the  cattle  fed,  and  under  which  the  traveller  or 
the  pilgrim  was  enabled  to  eat  what  he  had  with  him,  and 
rest  protected  in  the  heat  of  the  day. 

Then  they  told  their  father  all  that  had  happened,  repeated 
what  they  and  the  lord  of  the  country  had  said,  and  the  stip- 
ulation which  he  had  made,  in  order  to  their  getting  any  more 
corn,  during  the  famine,  for  the  land  of  Canaan.  "  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  they  emptied  their  sacks,  that,  behold,  every 
man's  bundle  of  money  was  in  his  sack." 

It  is  singular  that  the  word  "  sack"  is  very  much  the  same 
in  almost  all  languages  —  in  Hebrew,  in  Greek,  in  Latin,  in 
Spanish,  in  French,  in  Italian.  It  is  one  of  those  ancient 
words  that  have  crept  into  nearly  every  tongue,  and  contin- 
ued, for  what  reason  I  do  not  know. 

When  Jacob,  their  father,  heard  this  story,  and  the  condi- 
tion of  getting  corn,  he  said,  what  was  so  natural  and  so 
touching,  "  Me  have  ye  bereaved  of  my  children ;  Joseph  is 
not,"  —  a  most  delicate  and  beautiful  way  of  alluding  to 
what  he  supposed  to  be  his  cruel  death,  when  they  brought 
his  robe,  covered  with  blood,  and  said  the  wild  beasts  had 
killed  him  ;  but,  lest  his  feelings  should  be  harrowed  beyond 
bearing,  it  is  always,  "Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not,"  — 
for  he  remains  as  a  hostage,  —  "  and  now  ye  will  take  awaj'- 
the  only  memorial  of  my  beautiful  and  beloved  Rachel  —  ye 
will  take  Benjamin  away.  My  heart,"  as  if  he  had  said,  "  is 
ready  to  break ;  all  these  things  are  against  me."  On  this 
text  I  will  address  you  in  my  sermon. 

Then  lleuben,  evidently  intending  to  comfort  his  father, 
but  very  wrongly,  said,  "  Slay  my  two  sons,  if  I  bring  him 
not  to  thee."     How  absurd,  supposing  he  had  failed  to  bring 


GENESIS   XLII.  325 

back  Benjamin,  to  have  his  own  sons  slain  by  their  grand- 
father !  It  was  a  sort  of  consolation  that  Jacob  must  have 
flung  from  him  as  no  consolation  at  all ;  for  he  said  again, 
"  If  mischief  befall  him  by  the  way  in  which  ye  go,  then  shall 
ye  bring  down  my  gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave." 

He  who  wrote  this  either  was  a  genius  without  any  com- 
parison or  companion  in  the  history  of  mankind,  or,  what  we 
are  sure  of,  he  wrote  as  he  was  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  wrote  actual  fact,  while  inspired  to  do  so.  Our  own 
hearts  tell  us  this  is  no  fiction. 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

Jacob's  reluctance  to  let  benjamin  go  —  judah's  reasoning  — 

JOSEPH'S   reception    OF   THEM HIS   FEELINGS  AT  SEEING  BENJA5IIN 

HIS    HOSPITALITY. 

The  chapter  I  have  read  ought  not  to  be  disconnected 
from  the  previous  chapter,  for  it  is  its  apposite  and  beautiful 
sequel.  It  discloses,  however,  new  scenes  in  that  remarkable 
interview,  some  of  the  details  of  which  we  have  learned,  and 
others  we  shall  read  in  the  rest  of  this  interesting  book. 

It  is  recorded  in  this  chapter  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  had 
come  back,  and  stated  the  express  stipulation  laid  down  by 
Joseph,  unknown  to  them  as  Joseph,  that  they  should  bring 
their  brother  Benjamin  with  them,  while  he  would  keep  Simeon 
as  a  hostage  until  Benjamin  arrived.  When  they  brought 
this  intelligence  to  the  venerable  and  aged  patriarch,  his  heart 
almost  broke ;  it  was  more  than  he  could  bear.  He  recol- 
lected that  Rachel's  first  son,  Joseph,  had  been  torn  by  wild 
beasts,  as  he  supposed,  through  the  neglect  of  his  brethren ; 
and  he  now  feared  that  Benjamin,  the  only  surviving  son  of 
Rachel,  as  he  believed,  would  meet  with  the  same  fate  ;  and 
he,  therefore,  excusably  enough,  hesitated  and  delayed,  and 
put  oflf  the  dread  and  painful  sacrifice  to  the  very  last  mo- 
ment. But  "  the  famine,"  it  is  said,  "  was  sore  in  the  land  ;  " 
and  what  will  not  a  man  give  for  his  life  ?  Death  stared  them 
in  the  face.  It  was,  risk  the  life  of  Benjamin,  the  most  be- 
loved, or  incur  the  certain  starvation  of  himself,  his  children, 
and  his  children's  children.     This  was  no  light  alternative. 

It  is  said,  "  It  came  to  pass,  when  they  had   eaten  up  the 


GENESIS   XLin.  327 

corn  which  they  had  brought  out  of  Egypt,  their  father  said 
unto  them  "  at  last,  "  Go  again,  buy  us  a  little  food ;  "  but 
not  a  word  about  the  stipulation  which  Joseph  had  made. 
He  was  anxious  to  avoid  the  terrible  necessity,  and  he  wished 
to  see  if  his  sons  would  go,  and  risk  an  application  for  the 
food  which  they  could  not  do  without,  leaving  Benjamin 
behind.  But  Judah,  who  seems  thoroughly  to  have  compre- 
hended the  character  of  Joseph,  though  he  did  not  know  that 
he  was  Joseph,  and  who  seems  to  have  been  a  person  of 
business  and  practical  habits,  made  substantially  the  remark, 
"  It  is  of  no  use  bidding  us  go,  without  Benjamin  with  us. 
This  will  only  be  to  send  us  on  a  fool's  errand  ;  for  the  special 
stipulation  of  the  man,  the  prime  minister,  was  this.  He  did 
solemnly  protest  unto  us,  saying,  Ye  shall  not  see  my  face, 
except  your  brother  be  with  you."  He  understood  that  Jo- 
seph meant  what  he  said,  and  he  left  it  for  his  father  to  decide 
—  starve  with  all  your  children  in  Canaan,  or  send  Benjamin ; 
for,  unless  with  him,  we  cannot  see  Joseph ;  and  then  he  said, 
"  If  thou  wilt  not  send  him,  we  will  not  go  down  " — it  is  of 
no  use. 

"And  Israel  said,  Wherefore  dealt  ye  so  ill  with  me  ?  " 
He  did  not  know  well  what  to  say.  His  grief  was  inexpres- 
sible, and  he  did  not  know  where  to  lay  the  blame ;  but  he 
felt  that  blame  ought  to  be  laid  somewhere.  "  Wherefore 
dealt  ye  so  ill  with  me,  as  to  tell  whether  ye  had  yet  a 
brother  ?  "  Why  did  you  let  him  know  that  you  had  a 
brother  ?  Judah  then  repeated  the  simple  story,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  more  beautiful,  or  more  truthful.  "The  man 
put  the  question.  Have  you  another  brother  ?  and  you,  Jacob, 
are  a  Christian ;  you  would  not  have  us  say,  in  the  exercise 
of  a  tortuous  or  lying  diplomacy  or  management,  that  we 
had  no  brother,  when  we  had  one.  And,  besides,  how  could 
we  tell,  when  we  told  him  the  plain  truth,  that  his  very  next 
request  would  be,  Send  for  your  brother  Benjamin  ;  for  with- 
28 


328  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

out  him  ye  sliall  not  see  my  face  again  ?  How  could  we 
expect  or  anticipate  such  a  demand,  when  he  simply  asked 
the  question,  Have  you  another  brother  ?  and  when  we  an- 
swered, We  have  one  ?  "  And  Judah  said,  "  Send  the  lad 
with  me," —  make  no  further  delay, —  "  and  we  will  arise  and 
go ;  that  we  may  live  and  not  die."  And  then  he  said,  "  I 
will  be  surety  for  him  ;  of  my  hand  shalt  thou  require  him  : 
if  I  bring  him  not  unto  thee,  and  set  him  before  thee,  then 
let  me  bear  the  blame  forever."  It  seemed  that  Judah 
thoroughly  appreciated  Joseph's  character.  He  saw  an  hon- 
esty, a  justice,  a  tenderness,  a  compassion,  about  this  strange 
prime  minister  of  Pharaoh,  that  made  him  feel  that  Benjamin 
would  not  suffer  injury  at  his  hands,  and  that  induced  him  to 
offer  himself  as  absolute  surety  for  the  safety  and  the  return 
of  the  beloved  Benjamin  to  his  aged  father.  All  the  while, 
it  is  worth  noticing,  Benjamin  was  passive  and  silent.  And 
then  Judah  said,  with  much  good  sense,  "Except  we  had 
lingered,  surely  now  we  had  returned  this  second  time."  Had 
it  not  been  for  this  foolish  delay,  which  does  not  mend  the 
matter  in  the  very  least,  we  might  have  returned  from  Egypt 
with  our  sacks  filled,  and  you  would  have  had  plenty  of  bread, 
and  to  spare,  instead  of  pining  through  hunger  to-day.  It  is 
therefore  of  no  use  your  holding  out  any  longer.  You  must 
give  in. 

Well,  their  father  Israel  at  last  consented.  "If  it  must 
be  so  now,  do  this ;  take  of  the  best  fruits  in  the  land  in  your 
vessels,  and  carry  down  the  man  a  present,  a  little  balm,  and 
a  little  honey,  spices,  and  myrrh,  nuts  and  almonds."  Now 
his  consent  is  extremely  characteristic.  You  would  have 
thought  he  would  have  said,  "  Since  I  must  do  it,  I  must." 
But  when  the  sound  reasoning  and  the  good  sense  of  Judah 
showed  him  that  the  thing  was  dut}'-,  the  aged  patriarch,  the 
instant  he  recognized  duty,  bowed,  not  reluctantly,  but  cheer- 
fully, before  it ;  and  he  resolved  that  if  the  thing  was  worth 


GENESIS  XLIir.  329 

doing  at  all,  it  ought  to  be  done  generously,  nobly,  well. 
When  you  see  a  thing  that  ought  or  is  expedient  to  be  donei 
either  do  not  do  it  at  all,  or  do  it  thoroughly.  Either  let  it 
alone  altogether,  or  refrain  from  doing  it  with  a  grudging  or 
reluctant  spirit.  If  you  see  a  path  clearly  pointed  out  in 
the  providence  of  God,  commit  yourself  to  that  path,  and, 
like  Jacob,  make  as  pleasant  as  you  can  what  you  feel  to  be 
sacrifice,  and  act  as  generously  as  you  can  where  duty  clearly 
dictates  unswerving  and  unflinching  obedience.  In  this  spirit 
Jacob  acted.  Therefore,  the  patriarch  said,  "  Take  with  you 
such  fruits  as  the  land  has."  In  the  eleventh  verse  he  says, 
"  There  is  no  bread,  nor  corn  for  us ;  but  there  are  some 
fruits  still,  a  little  balm,  a  little  honey," — because  there  might 
be  flowers  for  bees  when  there  was  no  corn,  —  "a  little  spice, 
too,  and  myrrh,  and  some  nuts  and  almonds."  These  still 
remained,  and  therefore  he  said,  "  Take  of  these  as  a  present, 
and  show  by  these  to  the  prime  minister  your  good  will.  And 
in  order  that  this  mistake  about  the  money,  which  I  hope  was 
not  deliberate  dishonesty,  may  be  rectified,  take  back  the 
returned  money  in  your  sacks,  and  take  fresh  money,  in  order 
to  pay  for  the  corn  that  jou.  are  to  bring  with  you.  Take 
also,"  he  says  last,  "  your  brother ;  and  arise,  go  again  unto 
the  man."  And  when  he  gives  this  last  sacrifice,  not  an  ex- 
action now,  but  a  free-will  ofi"ering,  because  he  thought  once 
it  might  be  avoided,  but  now  he  sees  it  is  duty,  he  adds  the 
prayer  —  "God  Almighty  give  you  mercy  before  the  man, 
that  he  may  send  away  your  other  brother,  and  Benjamin. 
If  I  be  bereaved  of  my  children,  I  am  bereaved."  That 
does  not  mean,  "  I  am  thoroughly  bereaved ;  "  but  it  is  like 
when  she  of  old  approached  the  king,  and  said,  "  If  I  perish, 
I  perish ;  "  that  is,  "  If  it  be  God's  will,  I  do  submit."  So 
Jacob  says,  "  If  it  be  God's  will  that  Benjamin  shall  perish 
also,  then  it  is  God's  will,  and  I  shall  submit."     It  is  the 


330  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

breathing  of  the  sublime  petition,  "  Our  Father,  thy  will  be 
done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven." 

The  men  took  presents  and  set  out ;  "  And  when  Joseph 
saw  Benjamin  with  them,  he  said  to  the  ruler  of  his  house, 
Bring  these  men  home,  and  slay,  and  make  ready ;  for  these 
men  shall  dine  with  me  at  noon."  What  the  ruler  of  the 
house  can  have  thought,  when  he  said  so,  it  is  not  easy  to 
conceive.  He  must  have  fancied  that  his  master  was  de- 
ranged. An  Egyptian  to  ask  Hebrews  to  dine  with  him, 
when  such  intercourse  was  an  abomination  —  an  Egyptian 
prime  minister,  distinguished  by  his  position,  asking  these 
nomad  mendicants  to  dine  with  him  —  what  strange  overturn- 
ing of  all  the  decencies  of  life  is  this !  What  becomes  of  all 
the  etiquette  of  that  court,  where  such  a  thing  had  never 
occurred  in  the  memory  of  man  ?  But,  still,  he  had  the  good 
sense  to  think  his  thoughts  to  himself,  and  to  obey  promptly 
and  thoroughly  his  master's  command. 

In  the  eighteenth  verse  it  is  said,  "  The  men  were  afraid, 
because  they  were  brought  into  Joseph's  house;  and  they 
said.  Because  of  the  money  that  was  returned  in  our  sacks  at 
the  first  time  are  we  brought  in."  You  observe  that  their 
consciences  were  wrong  ever  since  their  first  sin  against  their 
aged  father  Jacob,  and  his  beloved  son  Joseph ;  and  every- 
thing that  happened  to  them,  conscience  made  them  to  conceive 
to  be,  in  the  purposes  of  God,  a  righteous  and  penal  retribu- 
tion. When  the  compass  loses  its  proper  polarity  at  sea,  the 
whole  course  of  the  vessel  must  be  altered  by  it ;  and  when 
the  conscience  loses  its  right  direction,  its  response  to  God, 
its  deference  and  inclination  to  his  law,  by  its  conscious 
violation  of  the  highest  duty,  then  the  heart  is  filled  with 
fears,  the  prospects  of  life  are  followed  by  uncertainty,  and 
all  the  dispensations  of  Providence  are  suspected  to  be  judg- 
ments, when  they  may  be  rich  and  sanctifying  mercies.  So 
they  said  now,  *'  This  looks  very  fine,  our  being  introduced 


GENESIS   XLIII.  331 

into  this  great  man's  house,  these  magnificent  rooms,  which 
look  to  us  poor  Hebrews  so  very  grand ;  but,  you  may  depend 
upon  it,  it  is  for  some  wicked  purpose.  He  wants  to  make 
slaves  or  prisoners  of  us,  or  to  do  us  some  harm."  That  man 
whose  conscience  is  right  with  God,  walks  through  society 
loving  all,  suspecting  none.  That  man  whose  conscience  is 
wrong  with  himself,  and  wrong  in  its  relationship  to  God, 
walks  through  society  dreading  and  suspecting  every  man. 
It  is  only  the  Christian  who  regards  every  man  as  a  brother, 
till  he  find  him  out  to  be  a  foe.  It  is  the  imconverted  who 
regard  every  man  as  a  foe,  till  they  discover  at  length  that 
he  is  a  brother. 

When  they  came  into  Joseph's  house  they  were  very  much 
afraid  ;  and  they  therefore  took  the  best  course  they  could, 
by  speaking  to  the  steward  of  the  house ;  and  how  very  true 
to  nature  is  that  simple  touch  in  the  nineteenth  Verse,  "  They 
came  near  to  the  steward  of  Joseph's  house,  and  they  com- 
muned with  him  at  the  door  "  —  at  the  entrance  hall.  They 
wanted  to  get  out  of  him  some  explanation  of  this  mysterious 
treatment,  and  to  ascertain  whether  his  master  was  a  pei-son 
who  was  a  little  eccentric,  or  really  laying  a  trap  for  them, 
and  wishing  to  do  them  some  harm.  And  they  explained  to 
the  steward,  lest  it  should  be  supposed  that  they  had  tried  to 
conceal  what  had  occurred,  the  money  in  their  sacks.  This 
was  their  preparatory  conduct.  The  steward  answered,  no 
doubt  from  a  thorough  practical  and  personal  knowledge  of 
his  master's  heart  and  disposition,  that  he  was  incapable  of 
injuring  them ;  and  that  this  mystery  to  them  would,  when 
it  was  evolved  and  explained,  show  that  "  the  God  of  their 
father  had  given  them  treasure  in  their  sacks."  It  is  plain 
that  Joseph  had  kept  his  Christianity  in  Egypt,  and  that  this 
steward  had  heard  and  learned  of  the  God  of  Abraham  from 
the  lips  and  the  life  of  his  great  master.  In  other  words, 
Joseph  was  not  one  of  those  men  who  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
28^ 


332  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

tury  say,  "Do  in  Rome  as  Rome  does  —  be  a  Romanist;  and 
in  Constantinople  as  Constantinople  does  —  that  is,  be  a  Mus- 
sulman; and  do  in  Paris  as  Paris  does  —  that  is,  be  a  world- 
ling, or  anything  you  like ; "  but  he  was  one  of  those  who 
say,  "  In  all  matters  of  dress,  or  ceremony,  I  will  conform  to 
the  custom  of  the  country ;  but  my  religion  is  too  sacred  a 
thing,  too  vital  a  heritage,  ever  to  be  laid  down  or  lost  sight 
of.  It  is  inseparable  from  me  as  my  immortality.  With  it 
I  live,  and  in  it  I  die."  And  the  servants  showed  here  that 
they  had  received  the  right  impression,  and  had  been  chris- 
tianized through  the  instrumentality  and  the  instructions  of^ 
their  master. 

We  read,  next,  that  they  were  all  introduced  to  Joseph ; 
and  Joseph  spake  to  them,  and  said,  in  language  so  true  to 
nature,  "  Is  your  father  well,  that  is,  the  old  man  of  whom  3-e 
spake  ?  "  Overdoing  his  attempt  to  disguise  his  recognition 
of  his  own  relation  to  him,  and  by  the  very  sweep  and  extent 
of  the  distance  of  his  language  revealing  the  effort  to  cover 
what  was  real.  "  Is  your  father  well,  the  old  man  of  whom 
ye  spake  ?  Is  he  yet  alive  ?  And  they  answered.  Thy  ser- 
vant our  father  is  in  good  health,  he  is  yet  alive."  And  then 
they  fulfilled  unconsciously  what  Joseph  predicted,  and  what 
they  once  resented,  "They  bowed  down  their  heads,  and  made 
obeisance." 

And  then  "  He  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  saw  his  brother  Ben- 
jamin, his  mother's  son,"  that  is,  Rachel's,  "  and  said.  Is  this 
your  younger  brother,  of  whom  ye  spake  unto  me  ?  And  he 
said,  God  be  gracious  unto  thee,  my  son." 

I  know  nothing  so  true  to  nature  as  the  thirtieth  and  thirty- 
first  and  following  verses,  and  certainly  no  language  so  expres- 
sive of  true  human  nature  as  this  description  of  Joseph.  He 
had  under  his  robes  of  ofl&ce  a  true  human  heart.  "  And  Jo- 
seph made  haste  ;  for  his  bowels  did  3'carn  upon  his  brother  : 
and  he  sought  where  to  weep  ;  and  he  entered  into  his  cham- 


GENESIS   XLIII.  333 

ber,  and  wept  there.  And  he  washed  his  face,  and  went  out, 
and  refrained  himself,  and  said,  Set  on  bread.  And  they  set 
on  for  him  by  himself,  and  for  them  by  themselves,  and  for 
the  Egyptians  which  did  eat  with  him,  by  themselves ;  because 
the  Egyptians  might  not  eat  bread  with  the  Hebrews ;  for 
that  is  an  abomination  unto  the  Egyptians.  And  they  sat 
before  him,  the  first-born  according  to  his  birthright."  And 
he  showed  his  great  afi"ection  for  Benjamin  by  sending  him  up 
"  messes,"  that  is,  if  you  like,  dishes  from  his  own  table,  as 
special  expressions  of  his  attachment  and  love.  "  And  they 
drank,"  and,  even  amid  their  suspicions  and  their  fears,  their 
misgivings  and  their  doubts,  they  had  an  interval  of  happi- 
ness ;  and  they  "  were  merry  with  him." 

In  Scripture  we  find  portrayed,  truly  and  justly,  humanity 
in  all  its  phases,  —  its  nature,  its  ruin,  its  restorations,  its 
weaknesses,  its  strength,  its  trials  and  gains,  and  joys  and 
fears,  —  as  it  never  was  or  has  been  depicted  on  earth.  The 
Bible  is  the  portrait  of  man,  the  revelation  of  God,  and  the 
inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 

DETECTION   OF   THE   DIVINING-CUP  IN  BENJAMIN'S   SACK SHOCK  FELT 

BY    THE     PATRIAKCHS THEIR    RETURN   TO   JOSEPH INTERVIEW 

TOUCHING  APPEAL   OF   JUDAH. 

You  will  ask,  perhaps,  at  the  commencement  of  this  most 
eloquent  and  touching  story,  —  not  the  less  eloquent  and 
touching  because  it  is  recorded  by  an  inspired  penman,  — 
why  Joseph,  unknown  to  his  brethren,  because  yet  unrevealed, 
should  have  insisted  on  the  cup,  his  own  special  cup,  being 
put  into  the  sack  of  Benjamin  ?  What  was  the  patriarch's 
main  reason  for  dealing  thus  with  his  brethren  ?  What  object 
did  he  propose  ?  The  answer  is,  Joseph  had  not  seen  his 
brethren  since  they  sold  him  as  a  slave,  and  he  was  anxious 
to  know  whether  their  attachment  to  the  last  child  of  the 
beloved  Rachel,  Benjamin,  was  at  all  different  from  the  equiv- 
ocal attachment  that  they  bore  to  him,  Joseph,  her  other  child, 
whom  they  sold  as  a  slave  to  merchantmen  going  into  Egypt. 
If,  when  the  cup  was  found  in  the  sack  of  Benjamin,  his 
brethren  had  fled,  and  left  him  to  bear  the  consequence, 
Joseph  would  have  seen  that  years  had  not  sanctified  to  them 
their  troubles,  nor  given  them  repentance  for  their  sins ;  but 
that  they  were  still  of  the  same  selfish  and  domineering  tem- 
per which  made  them  say,  "  This  Joseph  shall  not  reign  over 
us,"  and  which  determined  them  to  sell  him  to  Egyptian  task- 
masters out  of  spite,  rather  than  for  profit.  The  steward  was 
directed  by  Joseph,  therefore,  to  put  his  own  silver  cup  into 
the  sack  of  Benjamin. 


GENESIS   XLIY.  335 

It  is  said,  "As  soon  as  the  morning  was  light,  the  men  were 
sent  away."  That  morning  broke  upon  them  in  joy ;  the  day 
of  that  mornin<y  closed  on  them  in  sorrow  and  in  sufferino-. 
Many  a  bright  day  ends  in  dark  clouds,  and  when  the  morn- 
ing comes,  we,  frail,  ignorant  and  infirm,  know  not  what  the 
evening  shall  be.  The  sun  that  rises  on  bridals,  sets  often  on 
burials  also. 

Joseph's  steward  rose  up  and  followed  the  men,  and  over- 
took them ;  and  he  put  the  question,  "  Wherefore  have  ye 
rewarded  evil  for  good  ?  "  You  are  Christian  men  ;  you  pro- 
fess to  be  followers  of  the  God  of  Abraham  ;  by  your  fruits  I 
will  test  your  creed.  The  prescription  of  Christianity  is, 
"  Overcome  evil  with  good  ; "  the  practice  of  you,  its  profes- 
sors, has  been,  that  you  have  seemingly  tried  to  overcome 
good  with  evil.  "  Wherefore  have  you  done  this  ?  Are  you 
aware  that  you  have  taken  the  cup  whereby  my  lord  divin- 
eth  ?  "  That  expression,  "  divineth,"  has  been  open  to  differ- 
ent interpretations,  not  so  much  on  the  meaning  of  the  subject 
itself,  as  on  the  special  use  indicated  by  so  singular  a  use 
attached  to  the  cup,  —  "  the  cup  wherewith  my  master 
divineth."  Now,  on  man}'-  of  the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions 
on  the  Egyptian  monuments,  there  are  specimens  of  varieties 
of  cups,  exquisitely  chased  and  carved,  and  in  fact  showing, 
whatever  be  our  boasting  and  our  real  progress,  that  at 
that  day,  in  artistic  excellence,  they  seemed  to  have  attained 
a  degree  of  perfection  that  has  been  scarcely  reached  in  mod- 
ern and  more  boastful  times.  These  cups,  it  is  ascertained, 
partly  from  inscriptions  that  have  been  deciphered,  and  partly 
from  allusions  in  ancient  writers,  were  used  by  Egyptian  magi- 
cians, and  even  by  Egyptian  great  men,  in  order  to  divine,  or 
find  out,  by  a  sort  of  magic  (it  may  have  been  a  stupid  pro- 
cess, but  they  believed  it  to  be  a  prophetic  one),  what  would 
be  the  destiny  of  any  one  individual,  or  what  would  be  the 
way  to  find  anything  that  had  been  lost.     It  was  a  sort  of 


386  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

palmistry.  But  it  is  remarkable  that  the  Hebrew  word  that 
is  hero  translated  "divine,"  may  be  translated  "to  make 
trial  of,"  or  "  to  test."  "  This  is  the  cup  which  my  master 
maketh  jtrial  of,"  or,  by  a  sort  of  figurative  application, 
"  makes  use  of"  And,  therefore,  it  may  mean  that  it  was 
not  a  divining-cup,  as  used  by  the  Egyptians,  in  their  super- 
stition, which  would  have  been  most  improper  in  the  case  of 
a  Christian,  —  for  Christian  he  was,  —  like  Joseph ;  but  that 
it  was  simply  a  cup  that  he  used  at  table,  suited  to  the 
high  official  rank  of  the  personage  to  whom  that  cup  be- 
longed. Others  think  that  the  steward  merely  calls  his 
master's  cup  a  "  divining  cup,"  as  that  was  the  use  of  such"^ 
cups. 

When  he  overtook  them,  and  told  them  what  had  occurred, 
with  all  the  feelings  of  conscious  innocence,  they  exclaimed, 
"  God  forbid  that  thy  servants  should  do  according  to  this 
thing  !  "  Now,  the  exclamation  was  almost  evidence  of  their 
innocence.  It  is  not  so  difficult  to  distinguish  innocence  from 
guilt.  That  thing  called  the  human  countenance  may,  by 
long-practised  deceit,  so  adjust  itself  that  it  shall  express 
the  opposite  of  what  is  within ;  but,  when  there  is  no  such 
long-practised  deceit,  it  is  the  dial  on  which  one  can  read  the 
outer  action  of  the  machinery  within ;  and  very  much  by  the 
"  human  countenance  divine  "  one  can  ascertain  what  is  the 
innocence  or  the  guilt  that  is  felt  and  apprehended  within. 
At  all  events,  this  exclamation  was  very  forcible,  from  the 
fact  of  its  having  been  made  when  they  were  first  charged 
with  the  offence.  I  have  noticed  in  courts  of  justice  that  the 
judge  will  ask  the  question,  "  How  did  he  conduct  himself 
when  charged  with  it  ? "  The  first  expression  when  the 
charge  is  made,  is  generally  strongly  indicative  of  the  inno- 
cence or  guilt  of  the  person  by  whom  that  expression  is  given. 
Now,  they  said,  with  instinctive  abhorrence,  "  God  forbid  that 


GENESIS   XLIV.  337 

thy  servants,  so  deeply  indebted  to  you,  should  do  such  a  thing 
as  this !  " 

And,  besides,  they  were  able  to  plead  good  previous  conduct. 
I  dare  say  many  of  you  are  aware,  that  in  Scotland,  when  a 
criminal  is  tried,  generally  speaking,  it  influences  the  evi- 
dence on  the  side  of  a  specific  charge,  when  he  is  what  is 
called  "  habit  and  repute ;"  that  is,  when  his  past  character 
and  conduct  have  been  of  a  very  equivocal  description.  But 
when  the  past  character  has  been  spotless,  and  where  it  can 
be  proved,  or  "  led,"  as  it  is  called  there,  then  there  is  the 
strongest  possible  presumption  that  such  a  one  would  not  be 
guilty  of  such  a  crime.  The  eleven  patriarchs  pleaded,  "  Be- 
hold, the  money  which  we  found  in  our  sacks'  mouths  we 
brought  again  unto  thee."  Here  is  a  proof  that  we  are  hon- 
est men ;  and  if  we  did  so  in  a  case  in  which  we  were  afraid 
even  of  the  shadow  of  suspicion,  how  much  more  likely  is  it 
that  we  are  innocent  in  a  case  where  the  crime  would  be  so 
great,  and  the  ingratitude  so  base,  as  would  be  implied  if  the 
charge  brought  against  us  were  a  true  and  a  right  one  ? 

"Well,  the  steward  said,  "  Now  also  let  it  be  according  to 
your  words ;  "  —  I  accept  them  ;  —  "he  with  whom  it  is 
found  shall  be  my  servant."  That  sounds  a  very  slight  pun- 
ishment;  but  it  is,  rightly  translated,  a  slave  —  an  abject 
bond-slave,  over  whose  life  and  property  I  shall  have  com- 
plete jurisdiction —  "and  ye  shall  be  blameless."  This  the 
steward  did,  in  order  to  bring  in  Benjamin  apparently  guilty, 
so  that  by  the  detection  of  his  seeming  guilt,  he  might  dis- 
cover, for  Joseph's  information,  what  were  his  brethren's 
feelings  towards  the  only  surviving  son  of  Joseph's  mother, 
Rachel. 

Every  man  at  once  took  down  his  sack,  perfectly  conscious 
that  there  was  no  truth  in  the  charge;  and  the  steward 
searched,  and  began  at  the  eldest,  that  there  might  be  no  sus- 
picion of  his  knowing  where  the  cup  was,  and  left  off  at  the 


338  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

youngest ;  and  to  the  horror  of  the  brethren,  and  the  confu- 
sion of  Benjamin,  it  was  found  in  that  sack  where  they  least 
wished  it  to  be  found ;  for  rather  would  they  have  had  it  found 
in  any  of  their  sacks,  than  in  his  whose  detection  and  punish- 
ment would  bring  down  their  father's  gray  hairs  with  sorrow 
to  the  grave. 

On  this,  it  is  said,  "  they  rent  their  clothes,"  —  that  is  the 
Eastern  form  of  expressing  sorrow,  —  "  and  laded  every  man 
his  ass  and  returned  to  the  city,"  to  give  to  Joseph  such  ex- 
planations as  they  could.  And  Joseph  said  unto  them, 
"  What  deed  is  this  that  ye  have  done  ?  wot  ye  not  that  such 
a  man  as  I  can  certainly  divine  ?  "  or,  as  it  is  in  your  mar- 
ginal Bible,  "  that  I  can  make  trial  of,  or  test  character." 

Now,  recollect  Judah's  part  in  this.  Judah  pledged  him- 
self to  his  aged  father,  that  if  Benjamin  did  not  return  he 
was  ready  to  suJBFer  all  the  consequences ;  and  that  implied 
that  he  would  do  everything  that  man  could  do  to  protect 
Benjamin,  and  bring  him  back  in  safety.  Now  he  exclaimed, 
in  language  so  natural,  "  What  shall  we  say  unto  my  lord  ?  " 
We  are  struck  dumb ;  how  shall  we  clear  ourselves  ?  The 
thing  is  so  extraordinary,  that  I  do  not  know  how  it  is  pos- 
sible to  clear  ourselves  of  what  conscience  prompts  me  to 
believe  Benjamin  is  not  guilty  of^  and  what  must  have  taken 
place  owing  to  some  providential  overruling  or  inscrutable 
accident,  which  I  can  neither  divine,  explain  nor  unravel.  But 
then  he  said,  "  But  the  real  lesson  of  all  this  is,  that  God  hath 
found  out  the  iniquity  of  thy  servants."  That  does  not  mean 
the  iniquity  of  stealing  the  cup,  for  that  he  did  not  apply  to 
at  all ;  but  it  means  their  past  iniquity ;  for  you  will  recol- 
lect, in  our  previous  lessons,  that  whenever  they  met  with 
perplexing  circumstances,  apparently  destined  to  end  in  suf- 
ferings to  themselves,  they  always  remembered  their  treatment 
of  Joseph.  That  sm,  like  a  dark  shadow,  always  fell  on  their 
consciences  ;  and  in  all  their  merriest  moods  they  could  hear 


GENESIS    XLIV.  839 

the  sad  and  melancholy  undertones  of  their  transgressions 
against  Joseph ;  and  whenever  a  providential  cloud  darkened 
their  sky  with  its  shadow,  they  recollected  what  Judah  said 
before,  how  they  heard  Joseph's  cries  and  listened  not  to  them, 
but  sold  him  a  bond-slave  into  Egypt. 

Next  3'ou  will  notice  here,  what  I  will  not  call  the  cimning, 
but  the  skilful  tactics  of  Judah,  who,  you  recollect,  was 
pledged  to  bring  Benjamin  back.  He  said,  "  We  are  all  my 
lord's  servants  ;  do  not  let  the  whole  load  fall  upon  Benjamin, 
but  distribute  the  burden  over  the  whole  eleven,  and  let  us 
share  with  Benjamin  in  Benjamin's  punishment."  And  then 
Joseph  said,  "  God  forbid  that  I  should  do  so,"  —  his  object 
would  not  have  been  answered  by  this,  —  "  but  the  man  in 
whose  hand  the  cup  is  found,  he  shall  be  my  servant ;  and  as 
for  you,  get  you  up  in  peace  unto  your  father."  But  that 
commission  was  the  saddest  and  most  sorrowful  of  all. 

Then  a  speech,  or  oration,  if  you  like,  is  made  by  Judah ; 
and,  I  venture  to  say,  it  is  the  most  touching,  most  eloquent, 
most  masterly  appeal  that  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  man,  in 
all  the  annals  of  ancient  or  of  modern  oratory.  I  have  never 
read  anything,  as  a  mere  piece  of  literary  composition,  as  a 
speech  or  appeal  to  a  great  man  on  behalf  of  great  sufferings, 
so  touching  and  so  beautiful.  It  is  like  a  delicate  flower,  — 
one  dreads  to  breathe  upon  it,  or  to  handle  it,  lest  one  should 
spoil  it.  The  greatest  things  man  can  neither  describe  nor 
speak.  Grand  character  must  be  left  in  its  grandeur,  un- 
touched in  its  simple  magnificence.  To  attempt  to  delineate, 
is  to  gild  refined  gold,  and  to  try  to  add  fresh  perfume  to 
the  violet.  And  this  is  just  one  of  those  eloquent  appeals 
which  one  can  say  nothing  of;  we  must  leave  it  in  its  own 
simple,  stirring,  touching  pathos,  to  find  its  echo  in  every 
heart.  We  cannot  but  feel  that  either  the  whole  of  this  was 
the  inspiration  of  God  and  the  facts  of  history,  or  Moses  was, 
as  I  have  said  before,  the  most  wonderful  and  most  eloquent 
29 


340  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

speaker,  the  most  accomplished  statesman,  the  most  able  ruler 
that  ever  appeared  in  the  annals  of  mankind.  But  the  story 
is  so  real,  that  we  know  it  is  fact.  It  is  so  touching,  that  we 
know  inspiration  is  in  it ;  and  it  is  so  instructive,  that  we  thank 
God  that  such  things  were  written  for  our  learning.  I  read 
this  speech  once  more. 

"  Then  Judah  came  near  unto  him,  and  said,  0  my  lord, 
let  thy  servant,  I  pray  thoc,  speak  a  word  in  my  lord's  ears, 
and  let  not  thine  anger  burn  against  thy  servant ;  for  thou 
art  even  as  Pharaoh.  My  lord  asked  his  servants,  saying. 
Have  ye  a  fiither,  or  a  brother  ?  And  we  said  unto  my  lord, 
We  have  a  father,  an  old  man,  and  a  child  of  his  old  age,  a 
little  one ;  and  his  brother  is  dead,  and  he  alone  is  left  of  his 
mother,  and  his  father  loveth  him.  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy 
servants,  Bring  him  down  unto  me,  that  I  may  set  mine  eyes 
upon  him.  And  we  said  unto  my  lord,  Tlie  lad  cannot  leave 
his  father ;  for  if  he  should  leave  his  father,  his  father  would 
die.  And  thou  saidst  unto  thy  servants.  Except  your  young- 
est brother  come  down  with  you,  ye  shall  see  my  face  no 
more.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  we  came  up  unto  thy  serv- 
ant my  father,  we  told  him  the  words  of  my  lord.  And  our 
father  said.  Go  again,  and  buy  us  a  little  food.  And  we  said. 
We  cannot  go  down :  if  our  youngest  brother  be  with  us,  then 
will  we  go  down ;  for  we  may  not  see  the  man's  face,  except 
our  youngest  brother  be  with  us.  And  thy  servant  my  father 
said  unto  us.  Ye  know  that  my  wife  bare  me  two  sons ;  and 
the  one  went  out  from  me,  and  I  said.  Surely  he  is  torn  in 
pieces ;  and  I  saw  him  not  since ;  and  if  ye  take  this  also 
from  me,  and  mischief  befall  him,  ye  shall  bring  down  my 
gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  Now,  therefore,  when  I 
come  to  thy  servant  my  father,  and  the  lad  be  not  with  us ; 
seeing  that  his  life  is  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life  ;  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  when  he  secth  that  the  lad  is  not  with  us,  that  he  will 
die;  and  thy  servant  shall  bring  down  the  gray  liairs  of  thy 


GENESIS   XLTV.  341 

servant  our  father  with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  For  thy  servant 
became  surety  for  the  lad  unto  my  father,  saying,  If  I  bring 
him  not  unto  thee,  then  I  shall  bear  the  blame  to  my  father 
forever.  Now,  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  thy  servant  abide 
instead  of  the  lad  a  bondman  to  my  lord ;  and  let  the  lad  go 
up  with  his  brethren.  For  how  shall  I  go  up  to  my  father, 
and  the  lad  be  not  with  me  ?  lest  peradventure  I  see  the  evil 
that  shall  come  on  my  father." 

Any  remarks  by  way  of  illustrating  so  pure  and  earnest 
eloquence  are  not  only  unnecessary,  but  would  be  in  the  worst 
possible  taste. 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

JOSEPH'S   DISCLOSURE   OF   HIMSELF THE  FEELINGS  OF  HIS  BKETHREN 

JOSEPH'S     TENDERXESS THE     FAME    OF    IT PHARAOH'S    DELICATE 

AND   MUNIFICENT  CONDUCT  —  UNION. 

We  come  to  anotlier  scarcely  less  beautiful  and  touching 
episode  in  the  interesting  history  which,  Sabbath  after  Sab- 
bath, we  have  been  reviewing.  It  crowns  the  whole  story. 
This  chapter  is  Joseph's  disclosure  of  himself  —  the  unknown 
governor  at  Pharaoh's  right  hand  revealing  himself  unex- 
pectedly, though  scarcely  for  the  moment  believed,  to  be  the 
actual  Joseph,  the  eldest  son  of  Rachel,  the  brother  of  Ben- 
jamin, whom  his  brethren  sold  as  a  slave  into  the  land  of 
Egypt.  It  seems  that  the  touching  address  made  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter,  where  Judah  expostulated  with  Joseph  in  so 
eloquent  and  aJOTecting  terms,  had  made  a  very  deep  and  even 
an  irresistible  impression  upon  the  heart  of  Joseph.  It  was 
fitted  to  do  so.  After  he  had  listened  to  it,  such  was  the 
effect  of  its  appeal  that  he  "  could  not  refrain  himself  before 
all  them  that  stood  by  him ;  and  he  said.  Cause  every  man 
to  go  out  from  me  ;  "  that  is,  all  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  "  And 
there  stood  no  man  with  him  while  Joseph  made  himself 
known,"  unexpectedly,  and  amid  deep  and  tender  emotions, 
to  his  amazed  and  wondering  brethren.  The  scene  was  too 
solemn  for  strangers  to  be  allowed  to  stand  by. 

It  is  said  that  "  he  wept  aloud  ;  "  and  the  Egyptians  even 
could  not  understand  how  tears  should  ever  channel  the  cheek 
of  a  man  who  had  all  the  wealth,  honor,  and  resources  of 
Egypt  at  his  disposal ;  they  knew  not  the  story. 


GENESIS  XLV.  343 

"And  Joseph  said  unto  his  brethren,"  when  he  was  left 
alone,  ''  I  am  Joseph."  What  a  startling  preface !  Lest, 
however,  the  communication  should  be  too  overwhelming,  he 
diluted  it  by  referring  them  to  another  thought,  "  Doth  my 
father  yet  live  ?  "  And  his  brethren,  struck  dumb,  as  well  they 
might,  partly  by  the  recollection  of  their  guilt,  partly  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  revelation,  it  being  scarcely  credible,  and  yet 
evident,  "  could  not  answer  him ;  for  they  were  troubled,"  or 
overwhelmed,  or  harassed,  as  it  might  be  rendered,  "  at  his 
presence." 

He  then  said,  "Come  near  to  me"  —  do  not  stand  at  a 
distance  —  my  dignity  is  lost  in  my  affection.  Under  these 
splendid  robes  which  deck  the  governor  of  Egypt  there  is  a 
true  human  heart,  there  is  the  heart  of  Joseph,  a  brother, 
that  still  beats  true  to  his  father,  his  home,  to  Benjamin,  to 
Judah,  and  to  all  his  brethren.  "  They  came  near.  And  he 
said,  I  am  Joseph,  your  brother,  whom  ye  sold  into  Egypt." 
Yet  that  last  clause  was  not  meant  to  upbraid  them,  but  only 
to  prove  his  identity.  "  I  am  Joseph ;  "  and  the  rest  of  the 
statement  shows  that  he  would  rather,  if  he  could,  have 
passed  by  the  recollection  of  their  sin ;  but  it  was  necessary 
he  should  say  so,  that  he  might  identify  himself,  almost  a 
sovereign,  with  the  shepherd-boy  of  seventeen,  some  twenty 
or  thirty  years  ago,  that  they  then  sold  as  a  slave  into  Egypt ; 
whose  features  they  had,  no  doubt,  forgotten. 

Lest  the  very  allusion  to  their  sins  might  overwhelm  them, 
and  the  sudden  discovery  of  a  brother,  connected  with  the 
poignant  recollection  of  their  own  base  criminality,  should 
utterly  prostrate  all  nerve  and  ability  for  duty,  he  says, 
"  Now,  therefore,  be  not  grieved,"  as  they  evidently  showed 
they  were,  "  nor  angry  with  yourselves."  He  saw  that  enough 
now  was  revealed,  and  more  than  enough,  to  make  them  angry 
with  themselves.  If  he  had  spoken  to  them  in  wrath,  that 
would  have  made  them  angry  with  him ;  but,  on  reminding 
29^ 


344  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

them  not  of  the  choice,  but  necessity,  of  their  past  sins  in 
reference  to  himself,  he  felt  that  their  grief  needed  to  be 
rather  modified  and  restrained  than  stimulated,  and,  there- 
fore, he  said,  "  Be  not  angry  with  yourselves,  that  ye  sold 
me  hither ;  "  for  there  was  a  purpose  in  it  higher  than  yours. 
I  do  not  extenuate  your  sin  ;  but  there  was  a  higher  arrange- 
ment contemplated  in  all  that  has  happened  ;  it  was  God  who 
sent  me  hither,  in  spite  of  your  evil  purposes,  to  preserve  the 
very  life  of  them,  some  of  whom  wanted  to  kill  me,  and  all 
of  whom  consented  to  sell  me  for  a  slave.  "  For  these  two 
years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the  land ;  and  yet  there  are 
five  years,"  as  he  had  told  Pharaoh  before,  "  in  the  which 
there  shall  be  neither  earing  nor  harvest.  And  God  sent  me 
before  you  to  preserve  you  a  posterity  in  the  earth."  Why 
that  posterity  in  the  earth  ?  Because  the  forefathers  of  the 
great  Messiah  were  here ;  and,  had  their  lives  not  been  pre- 
served, and  their  children,  and  their  children's  children, 
humanly  speaking,  their  genealogy  had  been  altered.  All 
things  were  contributing  to  one  great  end,  by  coercion  or  by 
free  purpose. 

So  he  adds,  in  the  eighth  verse,  "  So,  now,  it  was  not  you 
that  sent  me  hither,  but  God ;  "  that  is,  you  were  not  the 
ultimate  cause,  though  you  were,  under  God,  the  permitted 
instruments  :  you  sinfully  promoted  what  you  did  not  intend ; 
"  and  he  hath  made  me  a  father  to  Pharaoh,  and  lord  of  all 
his  house,  and  a  ruler  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt." 
But,  then,  in  the  ninth  verse,  seeing  that  they  were  over- 
whelmed by  the  recollections  of  the  past,  and  the  disclosure 
of  the  present,  he  tries  to  divert  their  feelings,  and  their 
thoughts,  and  says,  "  Haste  ye,  and  go  up  to  my  father,  and 
say  unto  him.  Thus  saith  thy  son,  Joseph,  God  hath  made 
me  lord  of  all  Egypt ;  do  not  tarry,"  merely  recollecting  your 
own  sins,  or  wondering  at  the  disclosure  that  you  have  now 
witnessed;    but  hasten  back   to  that  father  who   fears  for 


GENESIS   XLV.  345 

Benjamin,  who  is  alarmed  for  bread  for  his  household.  He 
is  an  old  man,  and  cannot  wait  long,  or  stand  much.  Hasten 
back  to  him,  and  think  of  his  safety,  and  let  him  partake  of 
the  good  news  I  have  told  you,  that  your  actual  brother, 
Joseph,  whom  he  thought  to  be  torn  by  wild  beasts,  is  now 
alive ;  and  you  shall  tell  my  father  of  all  my  glory  in  Egypt 
that  you  have  seen.  Not  that  he  said  so  in  order  to  express 
any  feelings  of  vanity  and  pride,  of  which  he  had  none ;  but 
go  and  tell  Jacob,  as  if  he  had  said,  what  will  gladden  his 
heart,  that  I,  whom  he  thought  was  lost,  am  at  Pharaoh's 
right  hand,  and  am  raised  to  power  and  rank  and  splen- 
dor. He  set  them  on  active  duties  in  order  to  turn  their 
minds  from  sorrow  and  a  sense  of  guilt. 

And,  after  this  long  remonstrance,  of  which,  perhaps,  this 
is  but  an  outline,  his  brethren  consented  to  talk  with  him ; 
that  is,  they  ventured  to  ask  him  new  questions,  which  he 
was  ready  to  answer,  every  one  of  which  disclosed  their  sins. 

The  fame  of  this  extraordinary  interview  passed  through 
all  Pharaoh's  house ;  and  they  stated  to  Pharaoh  the  news, 
so  strange  and  unexpected,  that  "Joseph's  brethren  had 
come."  And  then  Pharaoh  said  to  Joseph,  "  Say  unto  thy 
brethren.  This  do  ye ;  lade  your  beasts,  and  go,  get  you  into 
the  land  of  Canaan."  And  then  we  read  that  he  gave  them 
wagons,  and  raiment,  and  food,  and  asses  laden  with  pro- 
vision, and  everything  they  could  need.  Joseph  might  have 
done  all  this  by  his  own  authority ;  but  there  was  here  ex- 
hibited a  trait  of  the  most  beautiful  courtesy  in  Joseph's 
master,  when  he  interposed,  and  said,  "  You,  Joseph,  have 
power  to  do  this;  but  that  the  boon  may  seem  more  valuable 
by  being  from  me,  and  suggested  by  me,  your  royal  master, 
you  do  these  things,  and  give  them  royal  provision  for  their 
journey  home  and  back  again ;  and  I  will  give  you  the  good 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  eat  the  fat  of  the  land." 

Thus,  one  faithful  son  was  the  reason  of  the  prosperity  and 


346  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

the  preservation  of  all  his  brethren,  in  spite  of  their  many 
unfaithful  designs.  And  Pharaoh  said  unto  them,  "  Kegard 
not  your  stuff," — those  things  you  have  brought  with  you, — 
which  indicates  that  they  were  very  poor.  He  says,  "  Regard 
not  those  paltry  things  that  you  have  brought  with  you." 
Fling  away  the  old  rags,  the  tattered  shoes,  and  the  little 
provision  you  have  made  for  your  journey;  and  take  what  I 
will  give  you  as  more  suitable  for  me  to  give,  and  more  use- 
ful for  you  to  receive.  "  And  to  his  father  he  sent  after  this 
manner ;  ten  asses  laden  with  the  good  things  of  Egypt,  and 
ten  she-asses  laden  with  corn  and  bread  and  meat  for  hia 
father  by  the  way."  So  Joseph,  we  are  told,  "sent  his 
brethren  away."  To  each  man  he  gave  changes  of  raiment, 
which  would  indicate  that  their  raiment  was  torn  and  worn 
out,  and  that  they  needed  new  apparel  for  their  journey. 

Joseph  gave  them  this  seasonable  advice,  "  See  that  ye 
fall  not  out  by  the  way."  Joseph  anticipated  that  the  first 
thing  that  they  would  do  after  conversing  upon  the  extraor- 
dinary revelation  would  be  to  upbraid  one  another.  Judah 
would  say,  "I  told  you  it  was  wrong;  "  and  Simeon  would 
say,  "  You  recollect  I  was  against  this ;  "  and  another  would 
say,  "  I  opposed  it."  One  would  say,  "  If  you  had  not  done 
this,"  and  another,  "  If  you  had  not  done  that,  we  had  not 
been  in  such  a  state,  and  then  this  strange  scene  would  not 
have  taken  place  ;  "  and  thus  they  would  have  quarrelled  by 
the  way,  and  it  would  have  taken  weeks  to  carry  the  glad 
tidings  to  the  old  man's  heart.  And,  therefore,  he  said  very 
appositely,  "  See  that  ye  fall  not  out  by  the  way."  There 
is  no  time  for  quarrelling ;  there  is  only  time  for  action. 
And  so,  when  Christians  and  missionaries  convey  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  gospel  to  those  that  need  to  know  them,  they 
may  depend  upon  it  the  same  advice  is  needed  still.  It  is 
our  way  —  we  need  counsel.     There  is  no  time  for  quarrel- 


GENESIS    XLV.  347 

ling ;  they  must  not  expend  their  energies  in  internal  fever, 
but  in  external  carefulness  and  usefulness. 

When  they  arrived  they  told  Jacob  all  the  words  of  Joseph. 
He  was  at  first  doubtful,  but  then  he  was  satisfied,  and  at 
last  said,  "  I  will  go  and  see  him  before  I  die."  The  word 
is  changed  from  Jacob  into  Israel,  which  means,  of  course, 
the  same  person. 

The  thoughts  of  that  little  band  it  is  not  easy  to  imagine : 
self-upbraidings,  shame,  sorrow,  repentance,  yet  not  unmixed 
with  joy  and  gladness,  alternately  coursed  their  hearts.  It 
was  a  sad  yet  joyous  story  to  the  aged  Jacob  —  sons  so  guilty, 
and  a  son  so  generous  —  events  so  wondrous,  and  providen- 
tial leadings  so  gracious.  It  was  proof  that  truth  is  more 
startling  than  romance. 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

OLD   JACOB   SETS   OUT  TO   SEE   JOSEPH  —  HIS   PIETY  —  DIVINE    ENCOUR- 
AGE5IENT. 

After  the  news,  so  unexpected  to  Jacob,  that  Joseph  was 
alive,  to  the  nature  of  which  I  directed  your  attention  last 
Lord's-day  morning,  when  Israel  exclaimed  in  the  joy  and 
excitement  of  his  heart,  "  It  is  enough :  I  will  go  and  see 
Joseph  before  I  die,"  we  read,  in  this  chapter,  that  the  patri- 
arch in  fulfilment  of  his  purpose  "  took  his  journey  with  all 
that  he  had,  and  came  to  Beer-sheba ;"  and  the  very  first 
thing  that  he  did,  partly  as  the  expression  of  a  glad  heart, 
partly  as  the  expression  of  a  thankful  heart,  and  partly  as 
his  daily  ofi"ering  of  adoration  and  praise  and  worship  never 
withheld  to  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob, 
was  to  ofi"er  "  sacrifices  unto  the  God  of  his  father  Isaac." 
In  ancient  days,  by  the  institution  of  Levi,  the  sacrifices  were 
figures,  types,  or  foreshadows  of  the  one  Sacrifice  that  was  to 
be;  and  the  Israelite  looked  through  the  shadow  to  form 
some  apprehension  of  the  glorious  substance.  Now  that  the 
substance  has  come,  the  shadows  have  departed,  just  as  the 
shadows  disappear  when  the  sun  mounts  his  meridian  throne, 
or  as  blossom  withers  when  fruit  is  ripe ;  and  we  now  look 
back  upon  a  sacrifice  finished  and  complete,  and  that  has 
been,  just  as  Jacob  looked  forward  to  a  sacrifice  no  less  fin- 
ished and  complete  that  was  to  be.  His  faith  was  prospec- 
tive, resting  on  an  atonement  which  was  to  be,  which  his 
sacrifices  helped  him  to  see  from  afar  and  comprehend.    Our 


GENESIS   XL VI.  349 

faith  is  retrospective,  and  rests  on  a  sacrifice  that  has  been, 
and  on  which  we  lean  or  trust,  it  having  been  clearly  brought 
to  light  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus. 

We  read,  next,  that  "  God  spake  unto  Israel,  and  said, 
Jacob,  Jacob."  He  did  not  call  him  Israel,  which  was  his 
covenant  name,  but,  finding  him  a  wanderer  in  the  desert,  he 
called  him  by  his  former  name,  more  significant  of  need, 
"Jacob,  Jacob."  And  he  instantly  replied,  "Here  am  I." 
Then  God  manifested  himself,  and  said,  "  I  am  God  ;"  liter- 
ally, "  I  am  El,"  the  Almighty  God.  No  danger  need  afi'right 
you.  No  foe  need  alarm  you ;  omnipotence  is  in  my  arm ; 
love  is  in  my  heart.  What  shall  separate  you  from  my  love, 
which  is  in  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord  ?  "  Fear  not  to  go  down 
into  Egypt."  Do  not  be  alarmed  to  go  into  a  land  of  dark- 
ness ;  for  the  promise  is,  "I  am  with  you,  and  I  will  there 
make  of  thee  a  great  nation." 

The  aged  patriarch  had  heard  of  Egypt  only  as  a  land  of 
idolatry ;  and  he  shrank  in  horror  from  going  where  that 
name  which  was  so  dear  to  him  might  be  profaned,  and  that 
worship  which  he  loved  would  seem  impossible.  He  needed, 
therefore,  God  to  make  this  special  manifestation  to  him,  and 
to  say,  "  So  far  from  fearing  that  you  will  fall  there,  remem- 
ber that  you  are  the  seed  that  I  am  sowing  over  all  the  land 
of  Egypt  to  form  a  mighty  host,  which  shall  march  forth 
amid  miracles,  victories,  and  mercies,  until  they  or  theirs  are 
settled  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  type  of  that  rest  that 
remaineth  for  the  people  of  God." 

How  interesting  is  this  fact,  we  find  so  often  in  the  Bible, 
that  God's  people  never  are  placed  in  special  trials  without 
God  manifesting  to  them  a  special  grace  !  It  is  a  fulfilment 
of  the  old  promise,  which  is  ever  new,  for  it  is  never  old  or 
obsolete,  "  I  will  be  with  you ;  I  will  never  leave  thee,  I  will 
never  forsake  thee,"  or,  as  I  have  told  you  these  words  ought 
literally  to  be  translated,  "  I  will  not  ever  leave  thee :  no, 


350  SCKIPTUKE   READINGS. 

never  will  I  forsake  thee."  It  is  the  strongest  and  the  most 
condensed  expression  that  can  be  employed,  and  denotes  the 
fulness  and  faithfulness  of  the  promise  of  God  to  be  with  his 
people  always.  In  all  time  of  their  tribulation,  in  all  time 
of  their  wealth,  in  the  hour  of  death,  and  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment. He  who  addressed  Jacob  in  this  chapter,  addresses 
them,  and  says,  "  Fear  not ;  I  am  with  you.  When  thou 
goest  into  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  my  rod  and 
my  staff  shall  comfort  thee.  I  will  never  leave  thee,  I  will 
never  forsake  thee." 

Then  God  says,  "I  will  go  down  with  thee  into  Egypt; 
and  I  will  also  surely  bring  thee  up  again :  and  Joseph  shalh 
put  his  hand  upon  thine  eyes."  What  a  beautiful  expression 
or  image  is  that !  It  is,  "  Do  not  be  afraid  that  you  shall 
die  in  a  strange  land,  where  a  stranger's  hand  shall  compose 
you  to  3''our  last  sleep  ;  but  be  sure  that  that  very  Joseph,  on 
whom  your  heart  has  so  long  and  so  warmly  rested,  will  yet 
close  your  eyelids,  and  see  to  your  burial,  when  you  shall  be 
borne  to  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God." 

Next  there  is  a  list  of  all  the  family  of  Jacob.  I  have 
often  thought  that  it  is  a  pity  the  Hebrew  proper  names  are 
rendered  as  we  do.  Whenever  in  our  translation  a  name 
begins  with  J,  it  begins  in  the  Hebrew  with  the  letter  Yod, 
or  Y ;  and  the  names  thus  spelt  in  the  Hebrew  are  most 
musical,  whilst  in  our  translation  they  are  extremely  rugged. 
Thus  Jacob  is  in  the  original  Yacob ;  and  Jeremiah,  Yere- 
miah ;  and  Joseph,  Yoseph.  All  these  words  lose  their  music 
in  our  translation,  and  the  ruggedness  of  what  is  not  the 
proper  echo  is  all  that  we  retain. 

AVhen  Jacob  arrived  in  Egypt,  "  he  sent  Judah,"  or  Yudah, 
"  before  him  unto  Joseph,  to  direct  his  face  unto  Goshen  ; 
and  they  came  into  the  land  of  Goshen."  That  was  a  lovely 
and  fertile  spot,  where  it  was  expected  that  he  and  his  sons 
would  settle. 


GENESIS   XL VI.  851 

And,  when  he  met  the  beloved  Joseph,  whom  he  thought 
to  have  been  torn  by  the  wild  beasts,  he  thus  gave  expression 
to  the  depth  and  the  fervor  of  his  feelings,  "  Now  let  me 
die."  I  have  now  nothing  more  worth  seeing.  The  last, 
deepest  yearning  of  my  heart  is  gratified.  I  have  no  wish  to 
taste  any  more  of  this  world's  pleasures.  Or,  as  Simeon  of 
old  said  afterwards,  after  a  yet  sublimer  sight,  "  Lord,  now 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace ;  for  mine  eyes  have 
seen  thy  salvation." 

We  have  then  Joseph's  special  directions  to  his  father  and 
brethren,  as  to  how  they  should  comport  themselves  before 
Pharaoh.  Ancient  shepherd  kings  had  invaded  and  con- 
quered the  land  of  Egypt  many  years  before  this  era.  They 
had  been  expelled  by  the  victorious  troops  of  Egypt,  and 
driven,  partly  to  Canaan,  and  partly  to  the  surrounding  hills ; 
and  amongst  the  Egyptians  there  was  a  sort  of  national  prej- 
udice still  surviving  against  the  very  profession  of  the  men 
whose  names  were  associated  with  foreign  conquerors ;  and 
for  a  long  period  after,  even  the  profession  or  trade  of  a 
shepherd  was  as  hateful  as  the  recollection  of  the  defeats 
they  had  sustained  from  the  shepherd  kings  in  former  days. 
And,  therefore,  Joseph  said  to  them,  "  Tell  him  you  are  shep- 
herds ;  but  seek,  what  I  have  by  my  diplomacy  secured,  a 
part  of  this  land  where  you  may  prosecute  the  trade  that  you 
love,  and  not  give  any  ofience  to  those  who  are  in  the  land 
of  Egypt."  And  such  ought  to  be  our  conduct.  If  the  He- 
brews had  mixed  with  the  Egyptians,  the  worship  of  each  was 
so  difiTerent  that  there  would  have  been  constant  collision. 
And,  therefore,  Joseph  so  arranged  it,  that  there  would  be 
ofience  to  neither  party.  And  so  it  should  be  with  us.  If  I 
were  placed  amid  Hindoos,  I  would  not  insult  their  religion. 
If  I  were  placed  amongst  Mahometans,  I  would  not  turn  into 
ridicule  their  religion.  Whatever  religion  a  man  has,  it  is  his 
all ;  I  pity  him  for  his  error,  I  pity  him  for  his  misfortune  ; 
30 


352  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

I  will  try  to  show  him  the  more  excellent  way ;  but  I  will 
only  dislodge  the  error  that  he  has,  which  I  will  not  spare, 
by  the  appliance  of  the  better  truth,  that  he  knows  not;  and 
if  I  attempt  any  other  process  to  beat  down  the  error,  I  am 
likely  to  do  what  is  uncharitable,  and  what  has  always  turned 
out  unsuccessful.  Now  Joseph  said.  My  brethren  shall  be 
in  the  land  of  Goshen,  a  spot  whose  moral  light  shall  be  like 
a  Pharos  amid  the  rest  of  Egypt ;  and  there  the  Egyptians 
shall  see,  without  our  needlessly  offending  or  molesting  them, 
that  while  we  enjoy  all  the  rites  of  Egyptian  hospitality,  re- 
spect their  sincerity,  deplore  their  errors,  we  will  not  insult 
them,  but  teach  them,  if  we  can,  the  more  excellent  way,  but 
will  do  nothing  to  cast  insult,  or  what  might  be  construed  as 
insult,  upon  the  sad  errors  that  they  sincerely,  but  unfor- 
tunately, hold. 

How  wonderfully,  step  by  step,  is  the  hand  of  God  seen 
directing  the  way  of  his  ancient  people  —  pardoning,  their 
sins,  yet  chastening  them  with  great  though  paternal  severity, 
lest  they  should  think  that  he  connives  at  sin,  or  that  be- 
cause he  overrules  it  for  good,  he  ever  ceases  to  hate  it  — 
watching  over  the  seeds  of  the  future  Israel  with  unsleeping 
eye,  and  unfaltering  care !  "  Truly  God  is  good  to  Israel,"  is 
an  acknowledgment  every  reader  of  these  interesting  memoirs 
must  frequently  make. 

The  same  providential  superintendence  of  God's  people  is 
still  carried  on.  He  still  makes  goodness  and  mercy  to  follow 
them.  But  in  this  inspired  record,  we  see  not  only  the  out- 
ward leadings,  but  the  inward  impulses.  A  portion  of  the 
curtain  is  lifted  up  and  we  are  able  in  these  narratives  to  see 
the  council-chamber  of  God,  and  to  follow  his  purposes  as 
they  pass  from  the  heavenly  presence  into  human  action. 
These  biographies  are  visible  proofs  of  God  in  the  affairs  of 
men.  We  have  the  truth  enunciated  again  and  again  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  but  here  we  have  it  practically,  personally, 


GENESIS  XLVr.  353 

and  nationally  set  forth.  We  see  that  God  is  by  the  domes- 
tic hearth,  by  the  solemn  altar — near  the  highest  throne. 
We  discover  that  all  space  is  holy  ground,  and  all  life  reli- 
gious service.  "  Thou  God  seest  me,"  may  be  uttered  by  man 
always,  and  everywhere. 

May  it  please  God  to  manifest  himself  to  us  as  our 
Father,  to  give  us  an  ever-deep,  reverential,  and  joyous  sense 
of  his  presence,  to  walk  with  him  in  all  our  ways  through 
Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  everlasting.     Amen. 


CHAPTER    XLVII. 

JACOB'S   ARRIVAL JOSEPH'S    LOYALTY  AXD    DEFERENCE PRESENTA- 
TION  OF    HIS    BRETHREN   TO   PHARAOH THEIR   TRADE DEFERENCE 

TO   AGE THE     DAYS     OF     OUR     YEARS THE     PATRL^BCH     BLESSES 

PHARAOH THE   WORSHIPPER   LEANING   ON   HIS   STAFF. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  earnestly  and  anxiously  anticipated 
interview,  on  which  the  heart  of  the  patriarch  had  been  so 
long  set,  with  his  long-lost  and  now  recovered  Joseph; 
with  him,  too,  he  was  to  meet  with  those  who  were  able  to 
nourish  him  in  a  season  of  famine,  and  in  all  but  universal 
distress. 

Joseph,  though  the  chief  minister  of  Pharaoh,  yet  felt  that 
his  was  a  subject's  place,  if  that  was  a  first  place  ;  and,  there- 
fore, when  his  father,  and  his  brethren,  and  their  flocks  and 
their  herds,  came  out  of  Canaan,  and  appeared  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  he  felt  it  a  duty  that  he  owed  to  his  sovereign  to  tell 
that  sovereign  that  they  were  in  the  land.  Pharaoh  was  a 
heathen  sovereign ;  Joseph  was  a  Christian  prime  minister ; 
but  because  they  diflfered,  and  differed  most  vitally,  in  religion, 
Joseph  did  not  feel  that  that  released  him  from  the  allegiance 
and  deference  which  a  subject  ever  owes  to  his  sovereign, 
whatever  that  sovereign's  religion  may  be.  The  way  to 
make  strangers  to  our  holy  faith  better,  is  to  show  that  our 
religion  makes  us  better  also.  The  most  effective  missionary 
influence  is  the  mighty  missionary  influence  of  truly  Chris- 
tian, holy  and  consistent  men.  Love  to  God  makes  us  more, 
not  less,  loyal  to  our  queen.  "  Joseph  took  some  of  his 
brethren,  even  five  men,  and  presented  them  unto  Pharaoh. 


GENESIS   XLVir.  896 

And  Pharaoh  said  unto  his  brethren,  What  is  your  occupa- 
tion ?  "  Now,  recollect,  they  knew  that  the  occupation  of 
shepherds  or  herdsmen  was  hateful  to  Egyptian  tastes.  This 
national  antipathy  was  owing  to  historic  recollections,  and 
not  to  the  trade  itself.  They  had  a  dislike  to  what  it  re- 
minded them  of.  But  you  will  observe  how  truthful  these 
brethren  were  in  what  was  unpalatable.  They  at  once  can- 
didly stated  to  Pharaoh,  "  Thy  servants  are  shepherds,  both 
we  and  also  our  fathers."  They  did  right.  Truth  is  the 
right  way.  You  will  always  find  that,  as  in  'mathematics  a 
straight  line  is  the  nearest  way  from  one  point  to  another,  so 
truth  is  always  the  straightest  and  speediest  way  to  success. 
They  did  not,  therefore,  deny,  lest  they  should  ofi'end  the 
monarch,  what  they  were.  Their  courtesy  did  not  conceal 
their  Christianity.  Some  men  would  have  been  so  courteous, 
that  they  would  have  tried  to  conceal  an  unpleasant  thought 
or  fact  from  royal  hearing ;  but  they  felt  that  truth  must  be 
spoken,  whether  kings  or  peasants  were  the  auditory ;  and 
they  have  left  us  an  example,  that  in  this  matter  we  should 
follow  their  steps. 

They  stated  candidly,  too,  why  they  had  come  into  Egypt. 
Their  end  was  not  to  do  Egypt  any  benefit,  and  they  did  not 
pretend  so  ;  they  honestly  admitted  that  they  were  starving, 
that  they  wanted  food,  and  that  they  had  come  just  to  obtain 
it.     This  was  candid. 

Pharaoh  stated  to  Joseph  substantially  this :  "  Thy  father 
and  thy  brethren  are  come  unto  thee.  Now,  to  show  how 
much  I  appreciate  the  great  services  you  have  rendered  me, 
I  will  let  your  brethren  and  your  father  enjoy  the  blessings 
and  the  benefits  that  I  can  bestow  upon  you.  The  land  of 
Egypt  is  before  thee ;  in  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father 
and  brethren  to  dwell.  Take  the  sunniest  and  most  fertile 
spot  in  it,  the  land  of  Goshen ;  and  if  thou  knowest  any  men 
of  activity  among  you,  as  idleness  can  do  no  good,  then  make 
30=^ 


356  SCEIPTURE   READINGS. 

them  rulers,"  not,  as  it  is  here  rendered,  "  over  my  cattle," 
but  "  over  the  herdsmen  of  my  cattle."  There  were  rulers 
over  the  cattle  already;  and  the  dignity  assigned  to  the 
brethren  of  Joseph  was  to  be  the  chief  herdsmen,  or  the 
heads  of  the  herdsmen  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

"  Joseph  brought  in  Jacob,  his  father,  and  set  him  before 
Pharaoh."  It  is  worth  while  to  observe,  that  when  his  breth- 
ren came  before  Pharaoh,  they  stood ;  but  the  aged  Jacob 
sat  before  him.  The  king's  good  feeling,  and  Joseph's  ap- 
preciation of  "that  feeling,  made  him  let  Jacob  sit  before 
Pharaoh.  Joseph  told  Jacob  to  do  so ;  and  Pharaoh,  ven- . 
crating  age  and  gray  hairs,  saw  that,  whilst  there  was  a  def- 
erence due  to  great  dignity,  there  was,  what  there  is  still,  a 
higher  deference  due  to  gray  hairs,  especially  when  those 
gray  hairs  are  the  anticipation  of  a  crown  of  glory. 

Pharaoh  then  "  said  unto  Jacob,  How  old  art  thou  ? " 
Evidently,  he  wished  to  make  Jacob  feel  at  his  ease.  Now, 
none  but  a  truly  great  man  can  make  an  inferior  feel  per- 
fectly at  ease  in  his  presence.  It  is  always  the  mark  of  real 
dignity,  that  it  makes  the  humblest  at  ease  before  it.  Pharaoh 
showed  what  a  delicate  appreciation  of  his  position  he  had, 
when  he  put  Jacob  at  his  ease  by  talking  to  him  upon  a  sub- 
ject about  which  old  men  like  to  talk  —  their  old  age,  and 
what  they  have  seen  and  recollect,  and  what  scenes  they  have 
gone  through.  Jacob  replied,  "  The  days  of  the  years  of 
my  pilgrimage  are  an  hundred  and  thirty  years ;  few  and 
evil  have  the  days  of  the  years  of  my  life  been,  and  have  not 
attained  unto  the  days  of  the  years  of  the  life  of  my  fathers." 
I  have  often  taken  occasion  to  remark  to  you,  that  the  age  of 
man  before  the  flood  was  seven  hundred,  eight  hundred,  nine 
hundred,  and,  in  one  case,  nearly  one  thousand  years.  The 
age  of  man,  immediately  after  the  flood,  came  to  be  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  one  hundred  and  seventy,  and  even  two  hundred 
years ;  and  since  the  days  of  the  patriarchs  there  seems  to 


GENESIS   XLVII.  357 

have  been  —  not,  I  suspect,  by  God's  law,  but  probably  by 
our  misconduct,  or  owing  to  sanitary  causes  that  we  cannot 
understand  or  explain  —  a  shortening  of  human  life.  I  do 
not  believe  that  threescore  and  ten  is  the  limit  that  God  has 
assigned  to  our  life.  I  know  you  will  think  of  the  Psalm, 
"  The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  and  ten ;  and  if  by 
reason  of  strength  they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  is  their 
strength  labor  and  sorrow."  But  you  will  recollect  that 
Psalm  was  written  in  the  wilderness ;  it  states  and  laments  an 
exceptional  circumstance.  Moses  says,  "  Our  wilderness 
condition  is  so  harassing,  that  our  life  is  reduced  to  three- 
score years  and  ten."  Moses  himself  lived  to  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years ;  and,  therefore,  in  Psalm  90,  he  is 
not  describing  the  normal  length  of  human  life,  but  what  it 
had  been  reduced  to  for  a  season  by  a  special  state  of  suffer- 
ing in  the  wilderness.  The  insurance  offices  have  noticed 
that,  owing  to  better  sanitary  arrangements, —  which  ought  to 
be  extended  to  the  poorest  dweller  in  St.  Giles'  as  well  as  to 
the  occupant  of  the  most  splendid  palace  in  the  west,  —  hu- 
man life  has  been  lengthened  within  the  last  fifty  or  sixty 
years  somewhere  about  five  or  six  years  on  the  generation. 
And  if  there  were  less  anxiety,  less  mental  excitement,  less 
commercial  and  political  competition,  less  pressure  of  thought 
upon  the  brain,  there  would  be  fewer  gray  hairs  above  it,  and 
a  longer  period  would,  in  all  probability,  be  the  measure  of 
our  lifetime.  It  is  a  very  strange,  but  a  very  true  thing, 
that  the  extremes  of  barbarism  and  civilization  seem,  in  this 
manner,  to  meet ;  so  that,  when  men  reach  a  certain  point  of 
civilization,  they  seem  to  come  under  the  disadvantages  of 
extreme  barbarianism,  as  far  as  the  wear  and  tear  and  length 
of  life  and  health  are  concerned.  However,  each  of  us  is 
immortal  till  our  work  is  done ;  and  this  is  our  greatest  com- 
fort ;  when  our  work  is  done,  then  may  our  petition  be, 
"  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace." 


358  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Jacob  blessed  Pharaoh ;  that  is,  he  prayed  that  every 
blessing  might  rest  upon  him  as  a  sovereign,  and  that  he  might 
receive,  above  all,  the  highest  blessing  —  that  of  knowledge 
of  eternal  life. 

We  next  read  of  Joseph's  statesmanship  in  the  land  of 
Egypt ;  how  he  dealt  with  the  people,  by  giving  them  bread 
for  their  money,  and  for  their  cattle  when  their  money  failed, 
as  long  as  the  famine  lasted ;  and,  at  last,  giving  as  much 
seed  as  was  requisite  for  sowing  the  land,  in  the  prospect  of 
the  exhaustion  of  the  seven  years  of  famine,  so  that  there 
might  be  sufficient  for  their  wants.  It  seems,  at  first,  severe^ 
dealing,  but  the  people  showed,  by  what  they  said  to  Joseph, 
that  he  was  not  an  exacting  master.  "  Thou  hast  saved  our 
lives ;  let  us  find  grace  in  the  sight  of  my  lord,  and  we  will 
be  Pharaoh's  servants." 

The  time  drew  near  when  the  venerable  Israel,  or  Jacob  — 
for  by  both  names  he  was  known  —  must  die.  Long  as  he 
lived,  yet  he  must  die.  I  think  it  is  one  of  the  most  —  I 
will  not  say  melancholy,  but  impressive  passages  in  the  word 
of  God,  where  we  read,  after  the  ages  of  the  patriarchs,  and 
Methuselah  among  the  rest,  the  words,  "  And  he  died."  They 
all  came  under  the  curse.  There  was  no  discharge,  save  in 
one  case.  "  In  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely 
die,"  was  actual  in  all. 

Jacob  made  Joseph  swear  that  he  would  bury  him,  not  in 
Egypt,  but  in  Canaan.  Canaan  was  the  land  of  promise ;  it 
was  the  earnest,  the  pledge,  and  the  type  of  the  everlasting 
^est;  a  stage  in  life's  journey  ;  and  it  was  meant  to  teach  a 
lesson,  that  just  as  the  patriarch  desired  that  his  dead  bones 
might  rest  in  the  promised  land  of  Canaan,  so  it  should  be 
even  more  earnestly  our  desire  that  our  souls  should  enter  into 
that  true  rest,  that  everlasting  Canaan,  that  remaineth  for 
the  people  of  God. 

You  ask  why  he  made  him  swear  ?     The  reason,  probably, 


GENESIS    XLVII.  359 

was  this ;  that  in  case  Pharaoh,  or  whoever  governed,  should 
bid  Joseph  not  to  do  so,  he  might  be  able  to  say,  "  I  have  not 
only  promised,  but  I  have  sworn  to  do  it." 

In  the  thirty-first  verse  we  read,  "  Israel  bowed  himself 
upon  the  bed's-head."  It  is  very  singular  that  that  clause 
has  been  made  a  source  of  much  mistake  and  misinterpreta- 
tion. You  remember  that  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  on  which  I  commented  the  other 
year,  where  an  account  of  Jacob  is  given,  it  is  said  that  he, 
"  when  he  was  a  dying,  blessed  both  the  sons  of  Joseph ;  and 
worshipped,  leaning  upon  the  top  of  his  staff."  Now  this 
passage  in  Genesis  is  the  only  one  where  there  is  anything  that 
corresponds  to  Paul's  statement,  in  the  Old  Testament  record 
of  Jacob's  life.  Then  why  is  he  said  to  lean  on  a  "  bed's- 
head"  in  the  one  passage,  and  on  "a  staff'*  in  the  other? 
There  are  two  Hebrew  words,  which,  if  spelt  according  to 
their  consonants,  that  is,  without  points,  would  be  precisely 
the  same,  namely,  nn?2.  We  may  pronounce  the  word  either 
mittah,  "a  bed,"  or  matteh^  "a  staff,"  according  to  the 
vowel-points ;  the  same  Hebrew  word  meant  "  a  bed,"  or  "  a 
staff,"  according  to  the  pointing.  If  you  point  the  word  one 
way,  it  means  "  a  staff;  "  if  another  way,  it  means  "  a  bed." 
And  hence  it  is  that  the  dispute,  which  is  not  yet  determined, 
has  arisen,  as  to  which  interpretation  is  correct.  In  what  is 
called  the  Khemish  Testament,  or  the  Roman  Catholic  Tes- 
tament, which  is  a  translation  from  a  translation,  it  is  said, 
"  He  worshipped  the  top  of  his  rod ;  "  and  in  the  foot-note  it 
is  said,  that  Jacob's  staff  had  an  image  on  the  top  of  it ;  and 
that  here  we  see  a  proof  of  that  relative  veneration  which  is 
due  to  images  and  relics.  If  you  look  at  the  Greek  word 
used  by  St.  Paul,  you  will  see  that  there  is  no  foundation  for 
this  absurd  translation.  The  Greek  is,  inl  to  ixx^ovj  which 
means,  "upon  his  staff;  "  and  there  is  no  record  in  Genesis, 
and  no  hint  in  the  Greek,  that  Jacob  had  any  image,  or  any- 


360  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

thing  of  the  sort,  that  he  used,  to  remind  him  of  God.  It 
was  the  picture,  true  and  lifelike,  of  an  old  man  leaning  upon 
his  staff,  and  worshipping  God  —  not  an  image,  which,  in  his 
case,  would  have  been  an  idol ;  and,  therefore,  to  say  that  it 
means  adoring  the  top  of  his  staff,  is  most  extravagant  and 
absurd.  The  whole  misapprehension  in  our  version,  or  what- 
ever it  may  be  called,  arises  from  the  different  punctuation 
of  the  Hebrew  word ;  and,  in  the  Romish  version,  from  a  de- 
termination to  invent  a  reason  for  error.  It  was  a  staff,  and 
not  a  bed,  is  plain  from  this ;  that  the  orientals  had  nothing 
that  could  answer  to  our  bed's-head.  They  slept  on  a  carpet, 
upon  the  floor ;  and  therefore,  no  doubt,  it  ought  to  be  ren-" 
dered,  that  he  arose  and  worshipped,  leaning  upon  his  staff,  as 
the  apostle  has  stated  it  in  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews. 

It  was  after  the  event  alluded  to  in  this  chapter,  that  Jacob 
was  taken  ill,  and  therefore  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  he 
was  at  this  moment  on  a  sick-bed  at  all. 

His  heart  prayed,  though  his  knee  was  unbent.  Age  may 
stiffen  the  joints  of  the  body ;  chains  may  fetter  the  limbs ; 
sickness  may  confine  to  a  lonely  chamber ;  but  no  outward 
restraint  can  reach  the  heart,  or  prevent  it  praying. 

God  looks  at  inner  feeling,  rather  than  outer  form.  He 
forgives  the  absence  of  a  bowed  knee,  if  there  be  only  the 
bowed  soul.  "  God  is  a  spirit,  and  those  that  worship  him, 
must  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

THE  DYING   PATRLiRCH JUDEA   FOR  THE   JEWS  —  OLD  AGE JACOB 

BLESSING   JOSEPH'S   SONS. 

It  appears  that  the  tidings  reached  the  patriarch  Joseph 
simply  by  popular  report  or  rumor  —  for  the  Hebrew  answers 
to  the  French  on  dlt  —  that  his  aged  and  venerable  father  was 
about  to  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth ;  and  the  mom  ent  that  Joseph 
heard  that  one  he  so  much  loved  and  revered  was  about  to 
leave  him  for  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God, 
he  rushed  to  a  sick  father's  bedside,  and  brought  his  two  sons, 
Manasseh  and  Ephraim,  with  him,  in  order  that  they  might 
see  that  noblest  of  spectacles,  how  a  Christian  can  die,  and 
might  be  refreshed  by  the  scene  of  the  departure  of  so  great 
worth,  and  go  forth,  strengthened  as  well  as  blessed,  to  go  and 
do  likewise. 

We  read  that  some  one  told  the  aged  patriarch,  Jacob,  as 
he  lay  upon  his  last  pillow,  that  the  son  he  once  thought  was 
torn  by  wild  beasts,  and  who,  in  his  last  moments,  was  his 
greatest  comfort  upon  earth,  was  about  to  come  and  see  him ; 
and  the  very  tidings  that  such  a  son,  so  beloved,  and  so  wor- 
thy of  such  a  parent,  was  approaching  his  bedside,  gave  new 
vigor  to  the  old  man's  body,  and  new  inspiration  to  his  heart ; 
and  he  raised  himself,  we  are  told,  upon  his  staff  or  bed,  as 
here  it  may  have  been.  This  was  the  spectacle  of  an  aged 
patriarch,  of  a  century  and  a  half  old,  raising  himself  upon 
his  staff,  and  looking,  with  an  ecstasy  that  only  a  parent  could 
feel,  at  sons  gathered  around  him,  to  whom  he  was  soon  to 
address  his  last  farewell. 


3G2  SCRIFIURE   READINGS. 

Jacob  said  unto  Joseph,  the  moment  that  he  saw  him,  "  God 
Almighty  appeared  unto  me  at  Luz,  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
and  blessed  me."  We  have  read  that  incident  before ;  and 
the  venerable  patriarch,  as  if  his  great  heart  were  overwhelmed 
by  a  sense  of  God's  past  goodness,  in  restoring  to  him  his 
long-lost  son,  who  he  thought  was  dead,  brings  before  him,  in 
the  rush  of  grateful  recollection,  all  the  good  that  God  had 
done  him ;  and,  even  before  he  spoke  to  Joseph  one  word,  he 
breaks  forth,  in  adoring  praise,  "  God  Almighty  appeared 
unto  me  at  Luz," — that  is,  the  place  that  became  afterwards 
Bethel, —  "  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  blessed  me.  And  he 
made  me  this  promise,  I  will  make  thee  fruitful,  and  multiply 
thee,  and  I  will  make  of  thee  a  multitude  of  people,  and  will 
give  this  land  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  for  an  everlasting  pos- 
session." Promises  were  the  joy  of  Jacob's  heart.  Now,  I 
believe  that  the  promised  land  still  remains  to  be  inherited 
by  Jacob's  children.  Palestine  is  pledged  to  the  Jews,  and 
it  is  ceaselessly  promised  throughout  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  as  an  everlasting  possession.  They  are  now  dis- 
possessed ;  the  Jews  are  now  a  family  without  a  home,  a 
nation  without  political  cohesion  or  laws,  a  people  without  a 
ruler.  The  Moslem  has  his  mosque  where  the  temple  of 
Solomon  was ;  and  the  victim  and  devotee  of  superstition  has 
altars  where  the  glory  once  burned  between  the  cherubim ; 
but  you  may  depend  upon  it  that  the  Gentile  is  simply  an 
occupant  of  the  deserted  land,  keeping  it  ready  for  the  restora- 
tion of  God's  favored  and  long-blessed  people.  Palestine  is 
promised  to  them  as  an  everlasting  possession.  They  are 
homeless,  because  not  yet  in  it ;  and  heaven  and  earth  may 
pass  away,  but  this  pledge  shall  not  pass  away.  They  have 
no  footing  here,  that  they  may  hurry  there. 

I  have  often  repeated,  on  reading  these  chapters,  how 
plainly  one  can  see  the  multiplying  signs  of  their  restoration. 
It  is  rumored  that  Palestine  will  soon  be  the  scene  of  new 


GENESIS   XLVIII.  363 

arrangements,  new  interferences,  new  movements,  arising  from 
the  autocracy  of  Louis  Napoleon.  Everything  indicates  that 
God's  Spirit  is  moving  amid  the  dry  bones ;  and  that  we  are 
now  about  to  pass  into  scenes,  and  years,  and  trials,  perhaps, 
as  far  as  we  can  judge  from  God's  word,  unprecedented  in 
the  history  of  the  past.  But  how  delightful  is  this,  that,  if 
we  be  God's  people, —  if  we  love  hira,  and  are  in  Christ 
Jesus  loved,  sanctified  and  blessed, —  then,  come  trouble,  come 
trial,  come  distress  and  perplexity  of  nations,  nothing  shall 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord  !  The  nation  has  lost  a  Wellington,  the  soul  never 
loses  Jesus. 

Jacob  said  that  he  should  regard  as  his  own  Joseph's  two 
sons,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  who  had  been  born  to  him  in 
the  land  of  Egypt,  and  who  had  therefore  not  been  seen  by 
Jacob  before.     "  As  Reuben  and  Simeon,  they  shall  be  mine.'* 

And  then,  in  the  seventh  verse,  just  as  if  he  could  not 
mention  God's  great  mercies  without  alluding  to  his  own  great 
loss,  he  says,  in  very  touching,  because  very  simple  words, 
"  When  I  came  from  Padan,  Rachel " — for  whom  he  waited 
and  toiled  seven  years,  the  mother  of  Joseph  and  of  Benja- 
min, whose  likeness  he  no  doubt  saw  in  Joseph's  two  sons, 
and  which  likeness  made  them  only  the  more  intensely  be- 
loved by  him  —  "  Rachel  died  by  me  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
in  the  way,  when  yet  there  was  but  a  little  way  to  come  unto 
Ephrath."  This  death,  he  thought,  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
wrath ;  but  he  knew  it  was  not  so,  but  mercy.  She  finished 
her  journey  sooner  than  he ;  she  was  taken  sooner  home,  that 
was  all  the  difierence.  And  now  he  felt  he  was  to  join 
Rachel,  as  Rachel  had  joined  God,  and  so  are  they  now  for- 
ever with  the  Lord.  "  And  I  buried  her  there,  in  the  way 
of  Ephrath ;  the  same  is  Bethlehem."  That  was  evidently 
to  induce  the  patriarchs  to  look  to  Canaan  as  their  home  upon 
earth,  because  the  dead  dust  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
31 


364  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Rachel,  and  the  world's  gray  fathers,  was,  and  now  is,  all 
there.  What  a  thought  is  it,  that,  at  this  moment,  the  dust 
of  patriarchs  is  still  sleeping  beneath  the  green  sods  of  Jeru- 
salem, or,  at  least,  in  Palestine !  And  what  a  magnificent 
scene  will  that  be,  when  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the 
dead  dust  of  the  world's  gray  fathers  shall  be  quickened,  and 
of  the  world's  young  striplings  also,  and  both  together  shall 
feel  that  mighty  transfiguration,  when  this  mortal  shall  put 
on  immortality,  and  this  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorrupti- 
bility !  What  bright  hopes  are  a  Christian's !  What  glorious 
prospects  may  the  youngest  saint,  as  well  as  the  most  aged 
patriarch,  fall  asleep  in  the  sure  persuasion  of! 

"  The  eyes  of  Israel  were  dim  for  age,  so  that  he  could 
not  see."  Age  came  upon  the  good  Jacob,  or,  as  he  is  here 
called  by  his  new  name,  Israel.  All  of  us  feel  that  the 
youngest  is  growing  older,  and  the  aged  are  already  grown 
old ;  that  no  power  can  keep  one  hair  black,  when  it  begins 
to  grow  gray  ;  no  force  can  clear  away  the  mists  that  begin 
to  gather  on  the  eyeballs  in  old  age.  Old  we  must  become. 
0,  when  old  in  age  to  be  old  in  grace,  what  a  blessed  and 
happy  combination ! 

It  is  then  said,  in  a  picture  extremely  beautiful,  "  And 
Joseph  brought  his  sons  near  unto  Jacob ;  and  he  kissed  them, 
and  embraced  them.  And  Israel  said  unto  Joseph,  I  had 
not  thought  to  see  thy  face ;  and,  lo !  God  has  showed  me 
also  thy  seed."  I  thought  thou  wast  dead,  torn  by  wild 
beasts ;  and  God  has  not  only  enabled  me  to  see  thee,  but  thy 
children.  And  it  must  have  been  a  most  delightful  thought 
to  the  patriarch's  heart,  that  those  children  were  walking  in 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  adorning  the  doctrine  they  professed, 
so  that  he  could  depart  in  peace,  rejoicing  in  the  Lord,  his 
rock,  and  the  rock  and  refuge  of  his  children,  and  his  chil- 
dren's children.  Joseph  then  took  them  both,  and  placed 
them  before  him. 


GENESIS    XLVIII.  865 

Joseph,  who  acted  from  nature,  wanted  the  elder  to  be 
blessed  first ;  but  the  patriarch,  who  acted  from  prophetic  in- 
spiration, blessed  the  younger  first.  This  has  been  frequently 
the  case  throughout  the  word  of  God,  as  we  have  seen  in 
reading  these  ancient  and  inspired  histories.  Nature  makes 
the  elder  in  this  world  the  chief;  but  grace  often  passes  by 
the  elder,  and  lays  hold  upon  the  younger.  But  yet  elder  and 
younger  may  have  that  grace  which  patriarchs  cannot  bestow, 
and  which  princes  cannot  take  away,  —  faith  in  a  Saviour, 
reliance  on  his  atonement  and  sacrifice,  belief  in  his  name, 
loving  him,  and  bowing  to  him  ;  that  is  the  blessing  that  mak- 
eth  rich,  and  addeth  no  sorrow. 

Jacob,  however,  said  to  Joseph,  "  I  know  what  I  am  doing. 
Though  I  am  very  blind,  yet  I  have  an  inner  light,  which  is 
clearer  than  any  outer  one ;  and  therefore  I  am  not  acting 
accidentally,  but  by  design,  or  '  wittingly,'  "  as  it  is  called 
here.  "  And  he  blessed  them  that  day,  saying,  In  thee  shall 
Israel  bless,  saying,  God  make  thee  as  Ephraim  and  as 
Manasseh." 

And  then  he  said,  "  Behold,  I  die ! "  And  he  did  not 
regret  life  or  refuse  to  die.  In  old  age,  death  is  scarcely 
dying.  It  is  just  the  evening  twilight  mixing  with  the  morn- 
ing twilight,  with  scarcely  a  night  between.  It  is  simply  the 
soul  leaping  from  the  decaying  house,  and  instantly  feeling 
itself  present  with  the  Lord.  And,  therefore,  just  as  the  trees 
in  autumn  become  most  magnificent  under  their  autumn  tints, 
when  they  are  about  to  drop  all  their  foliage  on  the  earth,  so 
a  dying  Christian  feels  the  greatest  joy,  and  is  radiant  with 
the  brightest  hopes,  and  gives,  like  Simeon,  expression  to  the 
richest  songs,  when  he  is  about  to  leave  the  house  that  per- 
ishes, for  a  house  not  made  with  hands  eternal  in  the  skies. 
"I  die ;  but,  though  I  am  torn  from  you,  God  will  be  with 
you."  What  a  blessed  compensation  !  When  God  takes 
away  the  earthly  father,  what  a  magnificent  exchange  if  he 


366  SCRIPTURE   READINaS. 

gives  us  the  heavenly  one !  If  the  aged  Israel  is  taken  to  his 
rest,  0,  how  gloriously  is  the  gap  filled  up  when  the  God  of 
that  Israel  becomes  the  God  of  his  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons  ! 
And  so  a  day  comes  when  he  and  they  shall  meet  and  mingle 
where  there  are  no  more  tears,  nor  sorrow,  nor  separation, 
nor  crying. 

In  these  narratives  there  is  a  pilgrim-like  air.  We  feel  its 
inflaence  as  we  read.  May  we  never  forget,  wherever  We 
dwell,  or  whatever  rank  we  hold,  that  we  are  pilgrims,  and 
strangers,  and  sojourners,  looking  for  a  better  country  and 
eternal  mansions ' 


CHAPTEK    XLIX. 

THE  BLESSING   OF  THE  TEIBES  —  THE  DEATH   OF  JACOB  —  HIS   SELECTION 
OF  A   GRAVE. 

It  is  extremely  difficult,  in  the  course  of  the  few  expository 
remarks  that  your  time  permits  me  to  give  on  the  lesson  that 
we  read,  to  present  a  full  and  satisfactory  analysis  of  the 
varied  and  significant  predictions  here  pronounced  upon  the 
tribes  of  Israel.  It  does  happen,  too,  that  our  most  noble 
translation,  for  such  unquestionably  it  is,  in  this  chapter,  is 
not  the  most  happy  in  its  rendering  some  expressions  of  the 
original  Hebrew  —  not  the  most  happy  in  this  sense  only,  that 
it  does  not  convey,  so  clearly  and  so  distinctly,  the  ideas  of 
the  original.  I  alluded  before  to  a  translation  that  has  been 
executed  by  Dr.  A.  Benisch,  professor  of  Hebrew  to  the  Jews' 
and  General  Literary  and  Scientific  Institution  ;  lecturer,  pro 
tern.,  to  the  Western  Synagogue,  St.  Alban's  place,  published 
with  the  approval  of  the  chief  Rabbi.  He  is  a  Jew  —  one  who 
has  no  partiality  to  Christianity  whatever ;  on  the  contrary, 
one  who  believes  that  the  Messiah  has  not  yet  come.  He  has 
simply,  as  a  Hebrew  scholar,  executed  a  translation  of  the 
whole  of  the  Pentateuch ;  and  I  must  say,  that,  in  some  pas- 
sages, as  far  as  I  am  competent  to  judge  and  compare,  his 
translation  is  more  correct  than  ours.  At  the  same  time, 
there  is  not  the  least  difierence  in  any  one  vital  point ;  and 
his  translation  tells  more,  I  think,  against  the  Jew,  and  alto- 
gether, I  may  say,  in  favor  of  the  Christian's  belief  that  the 
Messiah  predicted  in  the  Pentateuch  has  already  come.  I 
31^ 


368  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

will  just  read  this  forty-ninth  chapter,  as  it  is  rendered  by 
him.  This,  I  may  repeat,  is  a  Jew's  translation  from  the 
original  Hebrew ;  and,  therefore,  the  sceptic  cannot  possibly 
accuse  him  of  any  partiality  to  Christianity,  or  of  any  tam- 
pering with  the  original  in  order  to  support  the  Christian 
view  :  —  "  And  Jacob  called  unto  his  sons,  and  said.  Gather 
yourselves  together,  that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  shall 
befall  you  in  the  remoteness  of  days."  Now,  "  remoteness  of 
days"  is  better  than  "  last  days,"  because  this  latter  expres- 
sion is  generally  employed  to  denote  the  end  of  this  dispensa- 
tion, whereas  "  remoteness  of  days  "  is  more  applicable  to  the 
end  of  the  Jewish  dispensation,  or  the  period  of  the  existence 
of  the  twelve  tribes.  "  Gather  yourselves  together,  and  hear, 
ye  sons  of  Jacob ;  and  hearken  unto  Israel  your  father. 
Reuben,  thou  art  my  first-born,  my  vigor,  and  the  beginning 
of  my  manhood,  superiority  in  dignity  and  superiority  in 
power.  Thy  precipitancy  is  like  the  waters  ;  thou  shalt  not 
be  superior,  because  thou  wentest  up  to  thy  father's  place 
of  repose ;  then  profanedst  thou  my  couch  by  going  up.  Sim- 
eon and  Levi  are  brethren  ;  instruments  of  violence  are  their 
swords.  O  my  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret  delibera- 
tion ;  into  their  assembly,  my  glory,  be  not  thou  united  ;  for 
in  their  wrath  they  slew  a  man,  and  in  their  self-will  they 
lamed  an  ox."  Our  translation  is,  "  They  digged  down  a 
wall ;  "  but  the  Jew  translator  is  right,  and  our  translation  is 
wrong.  The  Hebrew  word  for  a  wall  is  shor ;  the  Hebrew 
word  for  an  ox  is  skur  ;  the  diflference  between  the  "  o  "  and 
the  "  u  "  consisting  in  the  position  of  a  point.  There  is  no 
question  that  our  translators  have  mistaken  it.  "  They  digged 
down  a  wall,"  means  nothing ;  but  the  ox  or  the  bull  are 
always  used  in  Scripture  to  denote  princes.  "  Strong  bulls  of 
Bashan  have  beset  me  round,"  —  that  is,  princes  of  Bashan 
(Psa.  22  :  12) ;  and  the  expression,  "  They  lamed  an  ox,"  is 
applicable  to  their  conduct  with  regard  to  the  great  prince, 


GENESIS   XLIX.  369 

Joseph,  whom  they  tried  to  prevent  getting  that  destined  dig- 
nity which  he  ultimately  attained,  and  which  they  impeded 
slightly,  but  failed  to  prevent  altogether.  "  Cursed  be  their 
wrath,  for  it  was  powerful ;  and  their  fierceness,  for  it  was 
cruel.  I  will  divide  them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in 
Israel.  Judah,  thee  thy  brethren  shall  praise  ;  thy  hand  is 
in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies ;  thy  father's  sons  shall  prostrate 
themselves  before  thee.  A  young  lion  is  Judah ;  from  the 
prey,  my  son,  thou  goest  up  ;  he  stooped  down,  he  crouched 
as  a  lion,  and  as  a  fierce  lioness ;  who  shall  rouse  him  ? " 
The  next  verse  I  wish  you  particularly  to  notice ;  for  there 
you  will  see  how  the  Jew  translator  is  at  one  with  our  trans- 
lators on  the  most  vital  portion  of  the  prophecy.  Certain 
recent  Jews  have  tried  to  interpret  "  Shiloh,"  not  as  derived 
from  the  Hebrew  word  "  to  be  at  peace,"  but  as  a  pronoun, 
and  to  render  it  "to  him  ;  "  but  every  effort  that  they  have 
made  in  that  direction,  and  they  must  know  it,  has  proved 
abortive ;  and  the  most  splendid  demonstration  that  such  is 
the  case,  is  the  translation  of  this  Jew,  an  accomplished 
scholar,  who  translates  the  verse  as  follows  :  "  The  rod  shall 
nat  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  from  between  his  feet, 
until  Shiloh  come  ;  and  his  be  the  obedience  of  peoples."  The 
Jew,  you  observe,  translates  the  verse  substantially  as  we  do, 
because,  as  a  scholar,  he  could  see  no  other  alternative,  know- 
ing that  the  efforts  of  those  who  have  tried  to  interpret  it 
otherwise,  have  failed.  The  rest  of  the  chapter  is  rendered 
by  him  as  follows :  —  "  Binding  unto  the  ass  his  foal,  and  to 
the  vine-branch  the  son  of  his  she-ass,  he  washed  in  wine  his 
attire,  and  in  the  blood  of  grapes  his  raiment ;  his  eyes  are 
red  from  wine,  and  the  whiteness  of  his  teeth  is  with  milk. 
Zebulun  towards  the  coast  of  seas  shall  dwell,  and  he  shall 
be  for  an  haven  of  ships,  and  his  border  shall  be  unto  Zidon. 
Issachar  is  a  bony  ass,  crouching  between  the  folds ;  and  he 
saw  that  repose  was  good,  and  the  land  that  it  was  pleasant ; 


370  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

and  he  inclined  Lis  shoulder  to  receive  the  burthen,  and  be- 
came a  servant  unto  tribute.  Dan  shall  pronounce  judgment 
on  his  people,  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  Dan  shall  be  a 
serpent  bj  the  way,  a  viper  in  the  path,  that  biteth  the  horse- 
heels,  so  that  his  rider  shall  fall  backward.  I  hope  for  thy 
aid,  0  Lord.  Gad,  an  assailing  troop  shall  assail  him,  but 
he  shall  assail  the  heel.  Out  of  Asher  cometh  his  fat  bread, 
and  he  shall  give  dainties  for  a  king.  Naphtali  is  a  hind  set 
forth ;  he  giveth  sayings  of  pleasantness.  A  son  of  faithful- 
ness is  Joseph,  even  a  son  of  fruitfulness  by  a  well ;  daugh- 
ters tread  on  the  wall,  and  they  embittered  him,  and  were^ 
numerous ;  and  the  archers  were  hostile  to  him.  But  his 
bow  abideth  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  remain 
supple  and  vigorous,  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob. 
From  thence  he  became  the  feeder,  the  stone  of  Israel ;  from 
the  God  of  thy  father,  who  shall  help  thee,  and  the  Almighty, 
who  shall  bless  thee  with  blessings  of  heaven  above,  blessings 
of  the  murmuring  deep,  that  croucheth  under,  blessings  of  the 
breasts  and  of  the  womb.  The  blessings  of  thy  father  have 
prevailed  above  the  blessings  of  my  progenitors,  even  to  the 
boundaries  of  the  everlasting  hills.  They  shall  be  on  the 
head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  is 
a  Nazarite  among  his  brethren.  Benjamin  is  a  wolf  that 
teareth,  and  in  the  morning  eatetli  his  prey,  and  at  even 
he  divideth  the  spoil.  All  these  are  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel;  and  this  is  it  that  their  father  spake  unto  them  when 
he  blessed  them,  every  man,  according  to  his  blessing,  he 
blessed  them.  And  he  commanded  them,  and  said  unto  them, 
I  am  to  be  gathered  unto  my  people.  Bury  me  with  my 
fathers,  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hit- 
tite  —  in  the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Machpelah,  which  is 
before  Mamre,  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  which  Abraham 
obtained  with  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite  for  a  possession 
of  a  burying-place.     There  they  buried  Abraham  and  Sarah 


GENESIS   XLIX.  371 

his  wife ;  there  they  buried  Isaac,  and  Rebekah  his  wife ; 
and  there  I  buried  Leah.  The  purchase  of  the  field,  and  of 
the  cave  that  is  therein,  was  from  the  children  of  Ileth.  And 
when  Jacob  had  finished  commanding  his  sons,  he  gathered  up 
his  feet  into  the  bed,  and  expired,  and  was  gathered  unto  his 
peoples." 

It  is  a  most  beautiful  and  exact  translation ;  and,  if  ours 
could  be  adjusted  by  it,  we  should  gain  something  and  lose 
little.  It  is  but  natural  to  expect  that  our  translation  should 
have  some  defects ;  for  it  was  the  last  only  of  a  series  of  ap- 
proximations. The  first  Bible  was  Wicklifie's ;  then  there  was 
the  Geneva  Bible ;  then  the  Bishops'  Bible,  from  which  the 
excessively  awkward  version  of  the  Psalms,  in  the  Prayer- 
book,  is  taken ;  and  lastly  there  appeared  our  translation, 
which  was  executed  in  1611,  by  a  collection  of  the  most  able 
Hebrew  and  Greek  scholars  that  ever  lived  in  any  age.  But 
they  were  men ;  they  had  much  to  do ;  criticism  was  not 
then  so  mature ;  and,  in  many  parts,  they  have  come  short 
of  doing  full  justice  to  the  original.  But  where  they  have 
come  short  in  the  Old  Testament,  they  have  done  so  lest  they 
should  seem  to  render  a  passage  too  clearly  and  unequivocally 
Christian,  and  thus  lay  themselves  open  to  the  charge  of  the 
Jew,  that  they  had  exaggerated  a  prediction  of  the  Messiah. 
And  so  in  the  New  Testament.  If  all  the  faults  of  the  trans- 
lators were  corrected,  it  would  only  more  clearly  and  unequiv- 
ocally speak  Protestant,  evangelical  Christianity.  So  that  the 
error  of  our  translators  (and  I  speak  this  really  advisedly,  and 
not  rashly)  is  on  the  side  of  not  boldly  enough  speaking  pre- 
cious evangelical  truth.  And  thus,  you  will  find,  where  there 
are  two  renderings,  that  the  marginal  translation  is  much 
more  distinct  and  decided  than  the  translation  which  they 
have  incorporated  in  the  text. 

Having  made  these  remarks,  I  proceed  to  expound  briefly 
some  of  the  predictions  contained  in  this  chapter.     First  of 


372  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

all  you  will  notice,  that  the  whole  of  these  prophecies  refer  to 
the  existence  of  the  children  of  Israel  as  tribes,  which  they 
ceased  to  be  partially  after  the  captivity,  and,  in  the  last  and 
remaining  case,  after  the  birth  and  resurrection  of  our  blessed 
Lord.  There  is  much,  I  admit,  of  difficulty  in  this  chapter, 
and  some  things  that  we  cannot  easily  explain,  though  I 
think  more  light  is  cast  upon  it  by  the  translation  I  have 
referred  to,  than  by  any  commentary  that  I  have  yet  seen. 

The  first  Jacob  referred  to  is  Reuben.  He  was  his  eldest 
son  —  "my  first-born,  my  might,  and  the  beginning  of  my 
strength ; "  that  was,  his  dignity ;  but  yet,  says  Israel  his 
father,  though  you  are  my  first-born,  and  therefore  entitled 
to  the  highest  dignity,  your  moral  conduct  has  disfranchised 
you.  Chronologically,  you  are  entitled  to  the  highest  place  ; 
but,  morally,  you  must  occupy  a  much  lowlier  one.  He  ex- 
celled in  age,  but  he  degenerated  in  conduct.  Deborah 
reproached  this  tribe  for  its  pusillanimity,  and  thus  illustrates 
its  character  :  —  "  Unstable  as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel." 
Water  may  be  moved  easily  by  the  wind,  and  when  its  em- 
bankments give  way,  it  rushes  forth,  to  use  the  Hebrew  trans- 
lator's words,  with  "  precipitancy  "  and  violence,  doing  great 
damage.  It  implies  that  the  passions  of  Reuben,  like  water 
long  pent  up  and  restless,  and  bursting  forth  ultimately  be- 
yond all  their  bounds,  should  only  do  mischief.  Hence  we 
read,  afterwards,  that  the  birthright  was  given  to  Joseph,  the 
priesthood  to  Levi,  and  the  kingdom  to  Judah.  But  Reu- 
ben, the  eldest,  "  unstable  as  water,"  was  degraded  and  cast 
down  below  the  youngest.  Righteousness  exalts ;  sin  de- 
grades. 

We  read,  in  the  fifth  verse,  in  the  lan2;uao;e  of  the  Hebrew 
translator,  "  Simeon  and  Levi  are  brethren ;  instruments  of 
violence  are  their  swords."  Their  cruel  conduct  is  related  in 
Gen.  37  :  27.  Tliey  were  the  foremost  in  selling  Joseph,  and 
getting  rid  of  the  brother  that  their  father  loved.     They  slew 


GENESIS   XLIX.  373 

Shechem,  a  man  of  distinction,  and  they  lamed,  or  cut  off  the 
sinew  of  an  ox,  not  a  wall  —  a  distinguished  individual,  now 
preeminently  so  —  Pharaoh's  prime  minister  —  that  is,  Jo- 
seph ;  and  they  tried  to  prevent  his  elevation  ;  they  impeded 
it  slightly  for  a  day  or  two,  but  did  not  prevent  it. 

Next  we  have  the  prediction  respecting  Judah.  The  mean- 
ing of  Judah  is  "  praise  ; "  and  the  patriarch  uses  his  name 
to  describe  what  he  should  enjoy :  "  Judah,  thou  art  he  whom 
thy  brethren  shall  praise."  "  It  is  evident,"  says  the  apostle 
(Heb.  7  :  14),  "  that  our  Lord  sprang  out  of  Judah."  Caleb 
and  David  were  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  Our  blessed  Lord  is 
called  "  The  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah."  You  will  find  this 
distinction  of  the  tribe  in  Numb.  23 :  24,  "  Behold,  the  peo- 
ple shall  rise  up  as  a  great  lion,  and  lift  up  himself  as  a 
young  lion ;  he  shall  not  lie  down  until  he  eat  of  the  prey, 
and  drink  of  the  blood  of  the  slain."  Vineyards  and  wine, 
in  great  abundance,  are  his.  Li  Isaiah  63  :  1,  the  spiritual 
significance  is  given  :  "  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom, 
with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah  ?  —  this  that  is  glorious  in 
his  apparel,  travelling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength  ?  I, 
that  speak  in  righteousness,  mighty  to  save.  Wherefore  art 
thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him  that 
treadeth  in  the  wine-fat  ?  I  have  trodden  the  wine-press 
alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  me."  Verse 
twelve  should  be,  "  Red  as  wine,  and  teeth  white  as  milk." 
Our  translation  conveys  an  erroneous  impression. 

Then  we  read,  in  the  thirteenth  verse,  "  Zebulun  shall  dwell 
at  the  haven  of  the  sea  ;  and  he  shall  be  for  an  haven  of 
ships  ;  and  his  border  shall  be  unto  Zidon."  Now,  the  geo- 
graphical position  of  the  tribe  of  Zebulun  extended  from  the 
Mediterranean  sea  on  the  west,  to  the  sea  of  Gennesaret  on 
the  east ;  and  the  prediction  is,  that  they  shall  be  a  seafaring 
people,  and  that  prediction  was  fulfilled  exactly  three  hundred 
years  afterwards,  for  we  read  in  Deut.  33:  18,  "And  of 


374  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Zebulun  he  said,  Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in  thy  going  out :  and 
Issachar,  in  thy  tents.  They  shall  call  the  people  unto  the 
mountain ;  there  they  shall  offer  sacrifices  of  righteousness ; 
for  they  shall  suck  of  the  abundance  of  the  seas,  and  of 
treasures  hid  in  the  sand." 

Of  Issachar  it  is  said  that  he  "  is  a  strong  ass  couching 
down  between  two  burdens."  You  will  observe  that  each 
tribe  is  described  by  an  animal  as  its  symbol ;  just  as  various 
families  have  still  birds  or  lions  as  their  crest  or  their  arms. 
That  of  Issachar  was  "  a  strong  ass  couching  down  between 
two  burdens."  The  position  of  this  tribe  was  in  the  valley 
of  Esdraelon,  between  ridges  of  hills,  that  rose  on  each  side' 
like  panniers,  between  which  was  a  valley  most  fertile.  This 
was  a  patient  tribe,  occupying  a  quiet  valley,  and  paying 
tribute  to  any  extent,  rather  than  go  to  war,  and  fight  with 
its  neighbors  or  invaders. 

Next  we  have  the  picture  of  Dan.  "  Dan  shall  judge  his 
people,  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel.  Dan  shall  be  a  serpent 
by  the  way,  an  adder  in  the  path,  that  biteth  the  horses'  heels, 
so  that  his  rider  shall  fall  backward."  Judah  had  the  hero- 
ism, boldness,  grandeur  and  dignity,  of  the  lion.  Issachar, 
again,  the  patience,  and,  it  may  be,  the  want  of  spirit  and 
stupidity  of  the  ass,  if  that  could  be  applicable  to  that  animal 
in  Eastern  lands,  which  is  doubtful ;  and  Dan  again  is  to  have 
the  skill  or  cunning  of  the  serpent.  Now  Samson  was  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  descendants  of  Dan.  It  is  said,  "  Dan 
shall  judge  his  people."  It  is  written  of  Samson,  "He  judged 
Israel  twenty  years."  But  the  prophecy  is,  that  his  whole 
conduct  shall  be  that  of  the  serpent,  gaining  the  victory,  not 
by  open  assault,  but  by  cunning.  It  is  recorded  of  Samson, 
as  if  to  illustrate  this  (Judges  16  :  27 — 30),  "Now  the  house 
was  full  of  men  and  women ;  and  all  the  lords  of  the  Philis- 
tines were  there  ;  and  there  were  upon  the  roof  about  three 
thousand  men  and  women,  that  beheld  while  Samson  made 


GENESIS    XLIX.  375 

sport.  And  Samson  called  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  0  Lord 
God,  remember  me,  I  pray  thee,  and  strengthen  me,  I  pray 
thee,  only  this  once,  0  God,  that  I  may  be  at  once  avenged 
of  the  Philistines,  for  my  two  eyes.  And  Samson  took  hold 
of  the  two  middle  pillars  upon  which  the  house  stood,  and  on 
which  it  was  borne  up,  of  the  one  with  his  right  hand,  and  of 
the  other  with  his  left.  And  Samson  said.  Let  me  die  with 
the  Philistines.  And  he  bowed  himself  with  all  his  might ; 
and  the  house  fell  upon  the  lords,  and  upon  all  the  people 
that  were  therein.  So  the  dead  which  he  slew  at  his  death 
were  more  than  they  which  he  slew  in  his  life." 

Then  we  have  the  picture  of  Gad :  "A  troop  shall  over- 
come him ;  but  he  shall  overcome  at  the  last."  We  read 
that  this  tribe  was  harassed  for  many  years  by  the  Ammon- 
ites. We  read  of  this  in  Jeremiah  49  :  1,  "  Concerning  the 
Ammonites,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  Hath  Israel  no  sons  ?  hath 
he  no  heir  ?  Why,  then,  doth  their  king  inherit  Gad,  and  his 
people  dwell  in  his  cities  ?  "  But  we  read  in  1  Chronicles 
5 :  18 — 22,  that  ultimately  Gad  overcame  :  "  The  sons  of 
Reuben,  and  the  Gadites,  and  half  the  tribe  of  Manasseh, 
of  valiant  men,  men  able  to  bear  buckler  and  sword,  and  to 
shoot  with  bow,  and  skilful  in  war,  were  four  and  forty  thou- 
sand, seven  hundred  and  threescore,  that  went  out  to  the 
war.  And  they  made  war  with  the  Hagarites,  with  Jetur, 
and  Nephish,  and  Nodab.  And  they  were  helped  against 
them,  and  the  Hagarites  were  delivered  into  their  hand,  and 
all  that  were  with  them ;  for  they  cried  to  God  in  the  battle, 
and  he  was  entreated  of  them,  because  they  put  their  trust  in 
him.  And  they  took  away  their  cattle  ;  of  their  camels  fifty 
thousand,  and  of  sheep  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  and 
of  asses  two  thousand,  and  of  men  an  hundred  thousand.  For 
there  fell  down  many  slain,  because  the  war  was  of  God.  And 
they  dwelt  in  their  steads  until  the  captivity." 

Asher  is  thus  spoken  of  in  the  twentieth  verse  :  "  Out  of 
32 


376  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

Asher  his  bread  shall  be  fat,  and  he  shall  yield  royal  dain- 
ties." Asher  means  "fertility,"  or  "fatness;"  and  Jacob 
says  that  his  land,  a  section  of  Canaan,  shall  be  what  his 
name  signifies,  "  He  shall  dip  his  foot  in  oil."  (Deuteronomy 
32:  24.) 

"  Naphtali  is  a  hind  let  loose ;  he  giveth  goodly  words." 
Now  the  characteristic  of  this  tribe,  like  that  of  its  symbol, 
was  timidity.  It  is  said,  in  Judges  4  :  8,  "  And  Barak,  one 
of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  said  unto  her.  If  thou  wilt  go  with 
me,  I  will  go ;  but  if  thou  wilt  not  go  with  me,  I  will  not 
go."  Then  the  "  goodly  words  "  occur  in  the  song  of  Debo- 
rah (Judges  5). 

The  patriarch  seems  to  have  showered  all  his  choicest  bless- 
ings upon  the  tribe  of  Joseph  ;  and  you  will  find  his  predic- 
tion confirmed  in  Deut.  33  :  13,  "  And  of  Joseph  Moses  said, 
Blessed  of  the  Lord  be  his  land,  for  the  precious  things 
of  heaven,  for  the  dew,  and  for  the  deep  that  coucheth 
beneath." 

Afterwards  it  is  said,  "Benjamin  shall  ravin  as  a  wolf ; 
in  the  morning  he  shall  devour  the  prey,  and  at  night  he 
shall  divide  the  spoil."  Saul  was  of  this  tribe;  and  no 
doubt  he,  like  many  of  his  descendants,  was  stained  with 
rapacity. 

Thus  we  see  that  these  predictions  were  minutely  fulfilled 
many  hundred  years  afterwards,  and,  therefore,  that  dying 
Israel  spake  as  he  was  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  closes 
his  life  in  benedictions ;  his  last  words  are  blessings  upon  those 
around  him.  He  had  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  The  future  em- 
bodied what  he  predicted. 

He  expressly  desired  to  be  buried  "  in  the  cave  that  is  in 
the  field  of  Machpelah,  which  is  before  Mamre,  in  the  land 
of  Canaan ; "  that  land  on  which  his  heart  was  set ;  that  land 
which  was  to  him  the  mirror  of  the  better  country,  "  which 
Abraham  bought  with  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,  for  a 


GENESIS   XLIX.  377 

possession  of  a  burying-place.  There  they  buried  Abraham, 
and  Sarah  his  wife,"  and  there  their  dust  still  remains. 
"  There  they  buried  Isaac,  and  Rebekah  his  wife,"  and  they, 
too,  rest  there  in  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  ;  "  and  there," 
he  adds,  "  I  buried  Leah."  Perhaps  he  dared  not  allude  to 
Rachel,  for  that  was  too  tender  and  painful  a  recollection. 

"  And  when  Jacob  had  made  an  end  of  commanding  his 
sons,  he  gathered  up  his  feet  into  the  bed,"  —  the  last  agony 
was  on  him,  —  "  and  yielded  up  the  ghost,"  that  is,  the  soul 
that  God  gave  him.  *'  The  dust  returns  to  the  earth  as  it 
was ;  and  the  spirit  returns  unto  God  who  gave  it."  And 
the  evidence  that  he  instantly  rejoined  Abraham  and  Sarah, 
Isaac  and  Rebekah,  and  those  whose  bodies  were  buried  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  is  the  expression,  "  and  was  gathered  unto 
his  people."  These  words  cannot  mean,  "  he  was  buried," 
because  the  next  chapter  contains  the  solemn  and  impressive 
account  of  his  burial ;  but  it  means  that  his  soul  instantly 
rejoined  the  happy  and  rejoicing  company  of  them  whose 
dead  bodies  were  awaiting  the  sound  of  the  resurrection 
trumpet  below  the  earth,  in  Canaan ;  but  whose  rejoicing 
spirits  were  amid  the  joys  and  the  blessings  of  that  land 
which  never  shall  be  moved,  and  of  which  the  earthly 
Canaan,  in  its  loveliest  day,  was  but  a  dim  and  imperfect 
type. 


CHAPTER    L. 

JOSEPH'S  AFFECTION  —  JOSEPH'S  ARRANGEMENT  FOE  BURYING  JACOB  — - 
NATIONAL  OBSEQUIES  —  LOOKING  TO  JESUS  —  FEARS  OF  THE  BROTH- 
ERS—  JOSEPH'S   LOVE HIS    DEATH. 

I  AM  sure  that  we  shall  almost  regret,  that,  in  the  course 
of  our  Sabbath-morning  readings,  we  have  come  to  the  close 
of  so  exquisitely  beautiful  and  touching  a  narrative  as  that 
of  Jacob  and  Joseph,  so  true  to  nature,  and  so  suggestive  of 
practical  guidance  in  all  the  ways  and  wanderings  of  our  life 
below.  But  the  sweetest  tale  must  have  its  close ;  the  longest 
life  has  its  end ;  the  brightest  day  has  its  shadows  and  its 
evening.  We  shall  have  in  the  course  of  another  week  to 
enter  upon  the  more  stirring  procession  of  Joseph's  descend- 
ants from  the  land  of  Egypt  into  that  land  into  which  his 
bones  were  carried  as  a  pledge  that  God  would  visit  them, 
and  bring  them  into  the  midst  of  it,  and  plant  them  a  great 
nation.  Now,  when  Jacob  was  dead,  it  is  said,  "Joseph  fell 
upon  his  father's  face,  and  wept  upon  him  and  kissed  him." 
This  was  proof  of  filial  love.  Nothing  is  said  of  the  conduct 
of  the  rest.  They  stood  by.  Joseph,  the  most  dutiful  son, 
felt  most  poignantly  the  loss  of  the  best  of  fathers.  Sin  cor- 
rupts the  heart,  and  hardens  the  feelings.  The  holiest  will 
always  be  the  most  sensitive.  They  who  are  truest  in  their 
relation  to  the  Father  of  all,  will  feel  the  deepest  and  purest 
affection  to  the  earthly  parent,  and  in  all  other  earthly  rela- 
tionships. 

Joseph  commanded  the  physicians,  according  to  the  custom 
of  that  country,  to  embalm  Jacob.     At  the  same  time  he 


GENESIS    L.  879 

asked,  like  a  loyal  subject,  though  occupying  a  subject's  first 
place,  permission  of  his  royal  master  to  go  with  his  father  to 
the  tomb  of  Machpelah ;  and,  according  to  the  oath  he  had 
taken,  as  well  as  the  promise  he  had  made,  to  bury  him  in 
the  land  that  was  the  type  of  the  rest  that  remaineth  for  the 
people  of  God. 

We  find,  in  this  chapter,  the  first  instance  of  a  national 
funeral,  on  a  scale  of  unprecedented  pomp,  pageantry  and 
splendor,  worthy  of  the  occasion,  and  dutiful  as  became 
Egypt,  and  acceptable,  we  read,  to  the  Christian  man  Joseph, 
and  the  rest  of  his  household,  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  the  re- 
mains of  Joseph's  dead  and  venerated  parent.  I  have  heard 
persons  object  to  such  national  expressions  of  sympathy  as 
are  recorded  in  the  chapter  we  have  read,  or  were  recently 
displayed  at  the  funeral  of  Wellington.  But  no  objections 
can  weigh  one  feather  against  a  precedent  in  Scripture,  in- 
spired by  the  Spirit,  sustained  and  sanctioned  by  Christian 
men,  and  plainly  recorded  here,  not  as  a  fact  that  we  are  to 
avoid,  but  as  a  precedent  that  on  all  similar  and  parallel 
occasions  nations  are  to  follow.  And  most  remarkable  it  is 
that  not  only  is  this  warranted  here,  and  the  foolish,  though 
perhaps  sincere,  objections  of  some  persons  disposed  of  at 
once,  but  throughout  Scripture  a  mean  national  burial  is 
spoken  of  as  a  judgment  and  a  posthumous  punishment.  For 
instance,  we  read  in  the  book  of  Jeremiah,  22:  18,  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord  concerning  Jehoiakim  the  son  of  Josiah,  king 
of  Judah ;  They  shall  not  lament  for  him,  saying,  Ah,  my 
brother  !  or.  Ah,  sister !  they  shall  not  lament  for  him,  say- 
ing, Ah,  lord !  or,  Ah,  his  glory !  He  shall  be  buried  with 
the  burial  of  an  ass,  drawn  and  cast  forth  beyond  the  gates 
of  Jerusalem."  That  was  a  mark  of  national  indignity, 
meant  to  express  either  its  indifference  to  what  he  had  done, 
or  their  positive  rebuke  to  the  acts  that  stained  his  history  or 
memory.  We  shall  also  find  that  our  blessed  Lord,  so  far 
32^ 


380  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

from  condemning  what  is  due  on  such  great  occasions,  ex- 
pressly, or  at  least  by  implication,  sanctions  or  applauds  it. 
For  instance,  we  read  in  Matthew  26 :  6,  «'  When  Jesus 
was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,  there  came 
unto  him  a  woman  having  an  alabaster  box  of  very  precious 
perfume,"  as  we  ought  to  render  it,  "  and  poured  it  on  his 
head  as  he  sat  at  meat."  Well,  when  the  disciples  saw  it, 
they  acted  like  some  advocates  of  a  spurious  economy  in 
modern  times ;  for  they  said,  "  To  what  purpose  is  this 
waste  ?  "  Recollect  it  was  an  alabaster  box  full  of  precious 
perfume,  and  might  have  been  worth  a  hundred  pounds.. 
"  This  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to 
the  poor." 

Now  this  last  remark  seems  very  rational;  and  many 
would  accept  it  in  a  modern  newspaper  as  a  very  sensible 
remark.  But  hear  what  our  Lord  says,  and  you  will  see  that 
what  is  man's  economy  is  often  not  true  economy,  and  that 
what  seems  God's  prodigality  is  often  the  truest  economy. 
Jesus  said,  "  Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  ?  for  she  hath 
wrought  a  good  work  upon  me."  And  yet  this  is  Jesus,  who 
came  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor,  who  came  to  minister 
especially  to  the  poor,  who  visited  their  homes,  sympathized 
with  their  sorrows,  raised  their  dead,  restored  their  broken 
circles,  lived  among  them,  died  for  them  :  "  For  ye  have  the 
poor  always  with  you ;  but  me  ye  have  not  always.  For  in 
that  she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on  my  body,  she  did  it  for 
my  burial." 

It  was  the  highest  expression  of  reverence  and  esteem  she 
could  give,  and  Jesus  hailed  it ;  and  the  disciples'  remark, 
"  This  perfume  might  have  been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to 
the  poor,"  was  neither  seasonable,  suitable,  nor  just,  and 
therefore  Jesus  adds,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  AVheresoever 
this  gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  there  shall 
also  this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told  for  a  memorial 


GENESIS    L.  381 

of  her;"  that  is,  deeply  to  her  credit  to  all  generations.  We 
thus  then  see  that  for  a  subject  or  a  prince  to  receive  from 
his  country  such  a  burial  as  that  recorded  in  Jeremiah,  is  a 
mark  of  ignominy  and  reprobation ;  but  that,  as  in  this  case 
recorded  in  the  fiftieth  chapter  of  Genesis,  a  national  funeral, 
worthy  of  the  occasion,  was  the  duty  of  a  nation  to  accord  to 
the  father  of  its  greatest  benefactor,  who  "  saved  much  people 
alive,"  for  that  is  the  expression  of  his  great  services.  And 
whether  the  "  much  people  "  were  saved  alive  by  being  pro- 
tected from  a  foreign  foe,  or  by  being  saved  by  supplies  of 
corn  in  a  season  of  oppressive  famine,  is  of  no  great  conse- 
quence. It  was  a  duty  that  the  land  of  Egypt  owed  to  its 
distinguished  benefactor ;  and  I  hope  that  our  country  will 
never  listen  to  the  spurious  economy,  "  Might  not  this  have 
been  given  to  the  poor  ?  "  and  thus  fail  in  the  only  expression 
of  a  rational  sense  of  gratitude  and  love  which  a  country  can 
pay  to  the  remains  of  its  most  distinguished  and  illustrious 
benefactors. 

But  others  will  say,  "Why  lay  out  anything  upon  the 
body?"  I  think  such  language  approaches  very  much  to 
infidelity.  I  do  not  like  private  fine  funerals;  I  am  here 
speaking  of  national  honors.  I  have  heard  some  persons 
say,  "  What  does  it  matter  to  me  where  my  body  is  thrown, 
whether  in  a  ditch,  or  elsewhere  ?  "  If  you  be  Christians, 
are  not  your  bodies  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  The  body 
is  the  shrine  of  Deity ;  it  is  redeemed  by  precious  blood  as 
truly  as  the  soul  that  dwells  in  it.  It,  too,  shall  hear  the 
roll  of  the  resurrection  trumpet,  and  shall  rise,  and  join  that 
grand  procession  of  all  ages,  and  tribes,  and  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  which  constitute  the  manifested  group  of  the  re- 
deemed and  ransomed  sons  of  God.  It  does  matter,  there- 
fore. A  Christian  burial,  in  the  case  of  individuals,  with  all 
the  solemnity  and  pure  severity  that  is  proper,  is  scriptural. 
And  in  the  case  of  illustrious  benefactors  of  a  nation,  all  that 


382  SCRIPTURE   READINGS. 

it  can  do  should  be  done  to  express  how  poignantly  it  feels  an 
irreparable  loss,  and  how  profoundly  it  appreciates  distin- 
guished and  unprecedented  services. 

You  will  observe  this  national  funeral  was  so  truly  great 
that  there  were  in  the  solemn  procession  cavalry,  infantry, 
and  the  grandees,  or,  as  they  are  here  called,  the  "  elders  " 
of  Egypt.  I  suppose  a  great  many  thousand  persons  must 
have  accompanied  the  remains  of  the  illustrious  patriarch  all 
the  way  from  Egypt  to  Atad,  which  was  the  first  place  they 
came  to  on  the  boundaries  of  Canaan,  the  promised  land, 
where  they  deposited  his  body,  that  he  might  there  rest,  in 
the  hope  of  a  blessed  resurrection.  Canaan  was  the  cathe- 
dral of  the  patriarchs.  Jerusalem  was  the  rallying  centre  of 
the  hopes  and  sympathies  of  the  Jews.  The  whole  Jewish 
economy  was  a  platform  on  which  Jerusalem  and  Canaan  were 
regarded  as  the  most  sacred  places,  typical  of  those  on  a 
higher  level.  Whenever  a  Jew  prayed,  he  opened  his  win- 
dows, and  looked  towards  Jerusalem.  If  he  prayed  on  the 
desert,  he  knelt  down,  and  looked  towards  Jerusalem.  You 
say.  Does  not  that  sanction  turning  to  the  east,  as  some  per- 
sons in  modern  times  prefer  to  do  ?  I  answer,  if  they  be 
Jews  it  may  be  suitable  enough  ;  but,  even  if  they  be  Jews, 
it  is  not  ritually  correct ;  for  the  Jews  did  not  always  look  to 
the  east,  but  to  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem,  whether  that  was 
north,  south,  east,  or  west.  And  why  did  they  look  to  it  ? 
Because  it  was  the  type  of  Jesus  Christ :  for  Jesus  says,  "  I 
will  destroy  this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up." 
The  Jew  was  not  to  look  to  the  temple,  but  to  Him  who  was 
overshadowed  by  the  temple,  and  who  still  remains.  And, 
therefore,  wherever  a  Christian  prays,  —  upon  the  tesselated 
pavement  of  the  grand  cathedral,  or  upon  a  hill-side,  or,  like 
the  apostle,  upon  the  sea-side,  in  the  camp  or  the  cabinet,  or 
upon  the  field  of  battle,  —  if  his  heart  looks  not  to  Jerusalem, 


GENESIS   L.  38S 

but  to  Jesus,  he  prays  in  the  right  spirit,  spiritually  and  in 
truth. 

Again,  we  read  here  that  after  the  funeral  was  ended,  and 
all  the  mourning  that  was  great  in  the  land  of  Egypt  had 
passed  away,  the  other  sons  of  the  dead  patriarch,  the  breth- 
ren of  the  affectionate  and  dutiful  brother,  felt  instantly  the 
shadow  of  their  past  great  sin  creep  cold  and  ominous  over 
their  innermost  hearts,  and  suggest  the  possibility,  or  even  the 
certainty,  that  Joseph,  their  elder  brother,  now  that  their 
father  was  gone,  would  instantly  avenge  the  evil  treatment 
he  had  received  at  their  hands.  They  judged  him  by  them- 
selves. They  thought  that,  because  they  were  so  wicked,  he 
could  not  be  so  good.  They  therefore  came  to  him,  and  I 
almost  fear  told  what  was  false.  They  said,  "  Thy  father  did 
command  before  he  died."  If  he  did  so,  it  is  not  so  recorded ; 
but  whether  he  did  so  or  not,  it  shows  that  they  saw  where 
their  strong  position  was  in  dealing  with  the  beloved  Joseph. 
You  will  notice  all  their  appeal  is,  "  Thy  father  " —  "  The 
servants  of  the  God  of  thy  father,"  knowing  how  strong  was 
his  affection  to  that  father.  They  said,  "  Peradventure 
Joseph  will  hate  us,  and  will  certainly  requite  us  all  the  evil 
which  we  did  unto  him."  Wherever  there  is  sin  in  the  con- 
science, there  is  always  fear  in  the  heart.  "  And  they  sent 
a  messenger  unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  did  command 
before  he  died,  saying,  So  shall  ye  say  unto  Joseph,  Forgive, 
I  pray  thee  now,  the  trespass  of  thy  brethren,  and  their  sin ; 
for  they  did  unto  thee  evil.  And  now,  we  pray  thee,  forgive 
the  trespass  of  the  servants  of  the  God  of  thy  father."  And 
Joseph,  pained  at  the  recollection  of  it,  and  anxious,  not  only 
to  forgive,  but  to  forget,  "wept  when  they  spake  unto  him. 
And  his  brethren  went  and  fell  down  before  his  face ;  and 
they  said,  Behold,  we  be  thy  servants ; "  thus  fulfilling 
the  prophecy  that  he  gave,  and  that  they  cruelly  tried  to  an- 
ticipate, when  he  saw  the  sheaves  of  the  brethren  falling  down 


384  SCRIPTURE    READINGS. 

in  a  vision  to  the  sheaf  of  Joseph.  "  And  Joseph  said  unto 
them,  Fear  not ;  for  am  I  in  the  place  of  God  ?  But  as  for 
you,  ye  thought  evil  against  me,  but  God  meant  it  unto  good, 
to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save  much  people  alive. 
Now,  therefore,  fear  ye  not."  How  Christian  was  that  spirit ! 
How  beautiful  and  becoming !  It  is  divine  to  forgive ;  it  is 
fiendish  to  avenge.  And  such  a  loss  as  they  had  sustained 
was  a  solemn  summons  to  lay  all  their  quarrels,  and  disputes, 
and  past  recollections,  in  the  silent  grave  of  their  common 
father,  and  to  go,  and  love,  and  sin  no  more. 

"  And  Joseph  dwelt  in  Egypt,  he  and  his  father's  house; 
and  Joseph  lived  an  hundred  and  ten  years."  Death  spares" 
neither  father  nor  son.  We  read  that,  when  his  death  drew 
near,  he  took  an  oath,  before  he  died,  that  his  bones  should 
be  carried  to  Canaan, —  that  is,  the  pledge  of  the  resurrec- 
tion,—  and  to  be  a  sign  to  them  that  that  land  was  the  place 
of  their  rest  and  repose. 

"  So  Joseph  died,  being  an  hundred  and  ten  years  old ; 
and  they  embalmed  him,  and  he  was  put  in  a  coffin  in  Egypt." 
The  common  practice  with  the  Egyptians  was  to  bury  in  stone 
coffins,  or  sarcophagi ;  but,  as  his  bones  were  to  be  carried  to 
a  distant  land,  he  was  put  in  a  case  or  coffin  of  wood. 

We  have  now  closed  the  book  of  Genesis;  and  what  an 
intensely  interesting  book  it  is !  Expunge  it  from  the  Bible, 
and  what  a  blank  would  be  behind !  We  learn  here  the  great 
truths  of  the  existence  and  the  providential  government  of 
God.  We  see  here  the  promises  of  a  Saviour  —  retribution, 
mercies,  forgiveness,  love,  man,  the  soul,  God,  sin,  and  holi- 
ness. And  from  this  book  almost  all  ancient  philosophers, 
astronomers,  and  chronologists,  have  borrowed  the  confirma- 
tion of  their  theories  and  their  facts.  And  it  is  remarkable, 
that,  as  science  makes  progress,  it  casts  clearer  and  brighter 
light  upon  this  book.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  objec- 
tions, once  urged  against  it  by  the  most  learned  men,  are  now 


GENESIS   L.  385 

found  to  be  so  frivolous,  that  he  would  be  pronounced  a  very 
illiterate  character,  indeed,  who  would  for  one  moment  dare 
to  state  them.  The  lapse  of  years  casts  light  upon  Genesis. 
The  deepest  discoveries  in  the  earth  below,  and  the  highest 
disclosures  in  the  firmament  above, —  the  telescope  of  the 
astronomer,  and  the  hammer  of  the  geologist, —  have  equally 
combined  to  show  that  this  book,  where  it  touches  the  con- 
fines of  science,  does  it  truly ;  and,  more  and  more,  that  it 
has  God  for  its  author,  truth  for  its  matter,  and  an  everlast- 
ing rest  for  its  bright  and  blessed  hope. 

Blessed  Lord,  who  didst  inspire  the  writer  of  this  book 
by  thy  Holy  Spirit,  and  hast  given  it  for  our  learning,  grant 
that  we  may  so  read,  and  study,  and  remember  its  precious 
truths,  that  they  may  serve  to  guide,  comfort,  and  build  us  up 
in  our  holy  faith.  Give  us  teachable  hearts ;  write  all  thy 
promises  upon  our  hearts  ;  take  the  veil  from  the  heart  of 
the  Jew,  and  his  ignorance  from  the  Gentile ;  and  give  us 
thy  Holy  Spirit,  for  Jesus'  sake.  And  now  to  Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost,  one  God,  be  equal  and  everlasting  glory,  as 
it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world 
without  end.     Amen. 


^ 


BS1235.C97 

Sabbath  morning  readings  on  the  Old 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00041   8139 


